§ Mr. CanavanTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he will circularise planning authorities urging them to give sympathetic consideration to applications for new football stadiums in greenfield sites, particularly in cases where there is no feasible alternative for football clubs to meet with the requirements and time scale of the Taylor report.
§ Mr. Allan StewartCertain of Scotland's football clubs are required to have all-seater stadiums by August 1994 in line with recommendations contained in the Taylor report. The planning system should not obstruct this requirement.
The Government's policy, as set out in Scottish Development Department circular 17/1985, is that planning permission should always be granted, having regard to all material considerations, unless there are sound and clear cut reasons for refusal. A draft national planning policy guideline on sport and recreation, containing further guidance on the implications of the Taylor report, will be issued for public consultation in the spring.
As with any other applications for planning permission, the football clubs may appeal to the Secretary of State if they are aggrieved at a planning authority's decision or if the planning authority fails to determine an application timeously.