§ Mr. DrewTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will list those policy initiatives his Department or its predecessor Departments have made in the field of planning and transportation since 1997 which have affected parish and town councils. [R] [27654]
§ Ms Keeble[holding answer 15 January 2002]: Planning Policy Guidance note 12: Development Plans (1999) states that local authorities should consult parish councils about development plans. Guidance on Full Local Transport Plans (2000) states that local authorities should work closely with parish councils in drawing up and implementing their local transport plans.
The 2000 Rural White Paper "Our Countryside: the future" announced measures to strengthen the role of town and parish councils, including the establishment of 348W Quality Town and Parish councils, about which we have issued a consultation paper. The Rural White Paper also set out proposals for supporting the preparation of town and village plans, the design and land-use aspects of which can be adopted by the local planning authority as supplementary planning guidance.
The Planning Green Paper "Planning: delivering a fundamental change", issued in December 2001, proposes that local authorities' existing development plans should be replaced by local development frameworks which would include action plans, principally for areas undergoing change. Action plans may include neighbourhood, village or parish plans.