Planning Appeals (Hansard, 27 June 2000)

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions (Lord Whitty): My right honourable friend the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions has today laid before Parliament four stat

the Town and Country Planning (Appeals) (Written Representations Procedure) Regulations 2000; and Town and Country Planning (Hearings Procedure) (England) Rules 2000, the Town and Country Planning (Inquiries Procedure) (England) Rules 2000 and the Town and Country Planning Appeals (Determination by Inspectors) (Inquiries Procedure) (England) Rules 2000. My right honourable friend has also laid before Parliament a related amendment to the Town and Country Planning (General Development Procedure) Order 1995.

A departmental circular (DETR 5/2000), Planning Appeals: Procedures (including inquiries into called-in planning applications), is being issued today to accompany the new statutory instruments and copies have been placed in the House Libraries. This circular (which replaces Circular DOE 15/96) explains the new procedures governing written representations, hearings and inquiries (including inquiries into called-in planning applications). The changes implement the conclusions of a consultation exercise announced by my right honourable friend the then Minister for Planning on 31 March last year.

The new arrangements, due to come into operation on 1 August 2000, are a key component of our "Modernising Planning" programme. We are determined to improve the service offered to business householders and other users of the appeal system. The changes being introduced will improve the speed and efficiency of the system without impairing the quality, fairness or openness of the process or people's ability to participate.

We have already set tough targets for the Planning Inspectorate to turn round appeals more quickly and it has made a good deal of progress in improving its own performance. However, improving service to the benefit of all concerned is not just the responsibility of the Planning Inspectorate. All parties to the appeals process have a responsibility to meet the deadlines set and to co-operate with the inspectorate in agreeing dates offered for hearings and inquiries. In future, representations received after due dates will normally be disregarded. We shall be carefully monitoring the impact of the changes and will review their effectiveness after about a year to help us decide whether any further action is needed.