Lords vote down government’s Planning and Infrastructure Bill amendment that would allow ministers to stop councils refusing applications…
Lords vote down government’s Planning and Infrastructure Bill amendment that would allow ministers to stop councils refusing applications…
Our beloved Peers of the realm has taken a vote on a very important amendment to the Planning and Infrastructure Bill (the one that is crawling through the house slower than a discharge of a S106 condition).
Amendment 64 would “allow a development order to enable the Secretary of State to give directions restricting the refusal of planning permission or permission in principle by a local planning authority in England”.
Or in normal English, Ministers would be handed the power to issue “holding directions”, which MHCLG said would serve “to stop councils refusing planning permission whilst they consider using their ‘call-in’ powers”. Ministers can currently only do so when councils are set to approve applications but NOT when they want to refuse them.
There was a “coalition of peers” from non-government Parties who derailed the amendment.
Some of the comments included:
“The balance between local and national decision-making is being tipped too far in the direction of national decision-making on policies, and that is not acceptable”
One said he was “astonished” that the amendment had come forward, saying that it would “emasculate the principle of a proper local planning process” and “raises the spectre of political interference, at very short timescales, in what is a quasi-judicial process”.
Another said: it would be a “huge overreach” that would effectively allow the secretary of state to “force through planning permissions, even when material considerations…would normally warrant planning refusal”.
Now, I know that if Keir made me Lord Lamprecht of Cockfosters, I would most certainly have supported this… but maybe I am wrong?
I am interested to know, how would YOU have voted on this (leave a comment below and we’ll try and get your name on the New Years Honours List!)