§ Mr. Maxwell-HyslopTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether on appeal against refusal of planning permission for the conversion of redundant farm buildings, the guidance given in his Department's document PPG7 dated January 1988 will prevail when that conflicts with an earlier county structure plan.
§ Mr. Chope[holding answer 31 January 1989]: Planning appeals are determined on their merits, taking account of all material planning considerations. Where the provisions of a structure or local plan clearly conflict with more recently issued national guidance they will usually be accorded less weight in that process. An up-to-date development plan may justify acceptable local variations from national policies.