Clause 4 - Assistance from certain local authorities
Planning and Compulsory Purchase Bill
10:30 am
Sir Sydney Chapman (Chipping Barnet, Conservative)
I am grateful to my hon. Friend. I recognised that, but the matter is so vital that we should take advantage of any opportunity to mention it that can be gained within the rules of order.
I particularly direct my next point to the Minister, because we both have the privilege of representing constituencies in the Greater London area. I cannot understand why the Government have not followed the model for the Greater London area. The local planning authorities in Greater London are the London boroughs. As I understand it, they have lost virtually none of their powers despite the implementation of the Greater London Authority Act 1999, which brought into being the Greater London Assembly and the Mayor. I shall rehearse very briefly what happens in London, and I hope that I will not give the wrong impression by trying to put it as simply and quickly as possible.
The local planning authorities—the London boroughs—keep all their powers. The Mayor has only one power in relation to planning. I accept that he
has transport powers as well, but his only power under town and country planning, or spatial development, relates to certain categories which, for want of ease, are the substantial planning applications in the Greater London area. He has the right to call in such applications and direct the local planning authority to turn them down. Even if an application is rejected as a result of a direction from the Mayor, or as a result of a local planning authority decision, the applicant has the inalienable right to appeal to the Secretary of State. There is an argument for saying that if one gives the Mayor certain powers, he should act as Secretary of State in the Greater London area. Whether or not one agrees with that, one can see that it is consistent and logical.
However, the Government have deliberately not transferred that power to the Mayor and the Mayor's role is therefore essentially superfluous. If he directs the local planning authority to reject the application—incidentally, a local authority can still say that it is minded to approve an application—the applicant can appeal to the Secretary of State. I am sorry if I have gone on slightly longer than I might have done, but this point is important. I do not know why that sort of situation cannot be replicated for the regional planning bodies.
In conclusion, RPBs should not be given any powers, except, of course, if there has been a referendum to decide whether people in that region want an assembly. Obviously, it would be wise to do preparatory work in that case. However, that relatively minor exception apart, no power should be transferred until regional assemblies are directly elected.