HC Deb 13 March 1992 vol 205 cc676-7W
Mr. Gale

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what steps have been taken to implement the provisions of the Planning and Compensation Act 1991 in England and Wales; which provisions are not yet in force; and when it is proposed to implement them.

Sir George Young

In the eight months since it received Royal Assent on 25 July 1991, almost all the major provisions of the Planning and Compensation Act 1991 have been brought into effect in England and Wales in four commencement orders. The main compensation pro-visions, together with a number of the planning and development control measures, came into operation two months after Royal Assent on 25 September 1991. The Act provided for home loss payments improvements to be backdated to 16 November 1990. The bulk of the enforcement provisions commenced on 2 January 1992, and the new development plans system became operative on 10 February 1992. A direction relating to publicity for, and notification of departures from development plans came into force on 28 February.

Where appropriate, advice and policy guidance for local authorities and other agencies, and existing advice, has been brought up to date to reflect the provisions of the 1991 Act as follows:

DOE Circ 14/91 August 1991 Planning and Compensation Act 1991
DOE Circ 15/91 September 1991 Land Compensation and Compulsory Purchase.
MPG8 September 1991 Interim Development Order Permissions (IDOs) Statutory Provisions and Procedures.
DOE Circ 16/91 October 1991 Planning Obligations.
DOE Circ 23/91 December 1991 Awards of Costs in Planning Proceedings Following Late Cancellation of an Inquiry or Hearing.
DOE Circ 18/91 December 1991 New Development Plans System: Transitional Arrangements (England and Wales).
DOE Circ 21/91 December 1991 Implementation of the Main Enforcement Provisions.
PPG 18 December 1991 Enforcing Planning Control.
PPG7 January 1992 The Countryside and the Rural Economy.
PPG 12 February 1992 Development Plans and Regional Planning Guidance.
MPG9 March 1992 Interim Development Order Permissions (IDOs) Conditions.
PPG1 March 1992 General Policy and Principles.
PPG3 March 1992 Housing.
PPG 19 March 1992 Outdoor Advertisement Control.
DOE Circ 5/92 March 1992 Town and Country Planning Control of Advertisement Regulations 1992.

The remaining provisions of the Act are scheduled to take effect in the spring and summer of 1992, within a year of Royal Assent as follows:

  • Remaining provisions on enforcement powers (sections 2, 4 (part) and 10).
  • Remaining provisions on planning obligations (section 12, sections 106A and 106B of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990).
  • Demolition of buildings (section 13).
  • Notices etc. of applications for planning permission (section 16).
  • Land of interested planning authorities and development by them (section 20).
  • Simplified planning zones (section 28).

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