§ Dr. WhiteheadTo ask the Deputy Prime Minister what assessment he has made of the effect of his policy of encouraging development on brownfield sites upon the availability of sites for waste management activities. [113182]
§ Mr. McNultyPlanning Policy Guidance note 10, 'Planning and Waste Management', explains how the land-use planning system can contribute to sustainable waste management. The planning system should enable adequate provision to be made for waste management facilities in appropriate locations and waste planning authorities should carefully consider the siting of waste facilities in relation to existing and, where possible, potential surrounding land-uses.
Planning authorities, when preparing their development plans, should consider the land-use requirements of the infrastructure and services needed to support their communities. They should ensure that sufficient land is identified to meet those needs.
§ Dr. WhiteheadTo ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether his Department monitors the rate of refusal of planning permission for schemes concerned with waste management. [113181]
§ Mr. McNultyThe Office of the Deputy Prime Minister does not formally monitor the refusal rates for planning applications for waste management facilities. Statistics concerning the treatment of planning applications related to "county matters" (those concerned predominantly with mineral workings and waste disposal, handled by the counties in the two tier shire authority areas and the London boroughs, metropolitan districts, unitary districts and national park authorities in other areas) are prepared on a quarterly basis. For such "county matter" applications decided in the October 2002-December 2002 quarter, the refusal rate in relation to waste disposal applications was 7 per cent., compared to 8 per cent, for all "county matter" decisions. The overall refusal rate for all planning applications has been around 12 per cent, to 13 per cent, for several years.