Clause 17 - Statement of community involvement
Planning and Compulsory Purchase Bill
3:30 pm
Mr Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (Cotswold, Conservative)
Clause 17 moves from the technicalities of what is in the plans and what documents have to be produced to how the community is to be involved.
The lead amendment is a probing amendment. In a sense, we are discussing the clause in a vacuum. We have already teased out of the Minister the fact that he has appointed the consultants Llewellyn Davies to advise on the framework of the community involvement. It is regrettable that the Bill is being rushed through the House and that we are therefore discussing these matters in the absence of the consultants' report. The Minister said that he would let us have sight of it before the Bill passed through all its stages and I therefore make a special plea to him that it should be available in reasonable time before Report. It would be helpful to know from Government business managers when that is likely to be. Will it be before or after the half-term break?
In the absence of the consultants' report, we are left to speculate about what is in the Government's mind in respect of the statement of community involvement. The amendment attempts to probe whether business will have a role. Businesses have a vital economic interest in what is planned for their area and they should be involved in drawing up the plans and
documents, but it is not clear from the clause whether they will be involved.
Amendment No. 288 refers to
''the economic development plan which has been adopted by the authority and the Regional Economic Strategy for the region in which the area of the authority is situated.''