§ Sir David SteelTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will ensure that financial considerations will not override consideration of other criteria such as architectural and landscape heritage in planning appeal decisions.
§ Mr. StewartPlanning appeal decision are made on the basis of a series of considerations put forward by the parties involved. As required by statute, the first among these is the contents of the approved development plan, if relevant; other material considerations, involving environmental, employment and financial considerations, are taken into account. The weight to be attached to each will be a matter of judgment, based on the facts and circumstances of each case.
§ Sir David SteelTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what plans he has to alter the level of resources allocated to local authorities for planning responsibilities as a result of the current review of the planning system.
§ Mr. LangCentral Government support for local authority revenue expenditure—aggregate external finance—is, with the exception of the specific grants component, not hypothecated to particular local authority services. There are no plans to alter the methodology underpinning the distribution of that support.