Jim Fitzpatrick (Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Department for Transport; Poplar & Canning Town, Labour)

I beg to move amendment No. 143, in clause 28, page 14, line 1, after ‘use’ insert ‘a cavity or’.

John Butterfill (Bournemouth West, Conservative)

With this it will be convenient to discuss Government amendment No. 144

Jim Fitzpatrick (Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Department for Transport; Poplar & Canning Town, Labour)

Clause 28 provides a definition of which type of works constitute “development” for the purposes of the Bill, and consequently whether development consent is required before the works are undertaken. In general, the meaning of development in the Bill is the same as is currently the case in the Town and Country Planning Act 1990. Subsection (2) adds two further categories of works which should be considered development: the conversion of a power station’s fuel source and starting to use underground strata for the purposes of gas storage. Amendments Nos. 143 and 144 amend the clause so that development will also include starting to use underground cavities for the purpose of gas storage. That is a technical change to ensure that the new regime properly covers all forms of gas storage as currently undertaken both within underground strata and cavities.

Bob Neill (Shadow Minister, Communities and Local Government; Bromley & Chislehurst, Conservative)

We take no issue with what the Minister says. It is a sensible and technical amendment.