§ Mr. HoyleTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will set out the relationship between a district council's planning responsibilities for pollution control and those of a county council.
§ Mr. YeoThe main land use planning responsibilities of district councils in England are the preparation of local development plans and decisions on planning applications for most types of development. County councils prepare structure plans, with which local plans must generally conform, and minerals and waste local plans; they are the development control authority for "county matters", principally mineral and waste disposal developments. In all of these functions, authorities may take into account 429W the pollution aspects of development where they are relevant to the development and use of land. But we do not expect local planning authorities to use their planning powers to duplicate pollution controls under environmental protection legislation—whether operated by the National Rivers Authority, HM inspectorate of pollution, county councils as waste management authorities or district councils as pollution control authorities.
We intend to publish a draft planning policy guidance note on planning, pollution control and waste management issues later this year.