New clause 52 - Planning: Retrospective Applications
Planning and Compulsory Purchase (Re-committed) Bill
11:00 am
Ms Yvette Cooper (Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister; Pontefract and Castleford, Labour)
The hon. Gentleman's second point is about the nature of the enforcement system and the time it takes. That is certainly something we are considering as part of the enforcement review. It is not necessarily specific to retrospective planning permission or to the new clause; it is a broader point about the speed of enforcement, and I do have some sympathy with it.
I do not think that we can simply argue that because 85 per cent. of applications receive permission, that means that they are automatically given permission because they are retrospective. I want to look at the figures more closely. They may well include many cases of minor applications, for example, when people did not realise that they needed planning permission for the work. I shall look more closely at that, and at the community perception that such matters are not handled fairly. It is important that the planning system is not only fair, but seen to be fair. I recognise the issues that hon. Members have raised, but the problem is not simple to resolve, because many different kinds of case are being picked up.