Clause 14
Housing and Regeneration Bill
4:29 pm
Iain Wright (Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Department for Communities and Local Government; Hartlepool, Labour)
I should be happy to look at the Bill afresh on that matter, but I can say that the sentiments of the Bill are entirely in keeping with it. The clause goes into some detail on the matter.
Placing on the agency a requirement to undertake formal consultation with the local authority, and to organise public information and consultation meetings with local community organisations and local people in respect of any development in a designated area, as set out in the amendment, is unnecessary. Any development would have to be in accordance with the development plan. I have already set out the level of consultation that would be required for the agency to make changes to the development plan documents. In addition, it would have to publicise any applications for development that were made, including any that it was involved with—that will help to address the potential conflict of interest—so that interested parties could comment, as they can with any other proposed development in any part of the local planning authority’s area.
The requirement for additional consultation would be of no benefit to local communities, as it would add no value to existing consultation requirements, and would slow down the regeneration activity that is likely to be desperately needed in such areas. Fewer homes would be built more slowly. As we have seen from the cross-party consensus in the past few minutes about building more homes, which I very much welcome, that is not what the Committee wants. It certainly is not the purpose of the amendment. I therefore hope that the hon. Gentleman will withdraw the amendment.