Clause 50
Planning Bill
2:00 pm
Dan Rogerson (Shadow Minister (Arts, Culture and Heritage), Culture, Media & Sport; North Cornwall, Liberal Democrat)
Never let me be accused of being inconsistent, Mr. Illsley.
Amendment No. 179 relates to the time periods available to objectors in notifying the commission of their objection. The Bill as drafted specifies 28 days. For the reasons that we discussed earlier, and may well return to, that may be too short a period.
I am mindful that the IPC’s work load will be about 40 applications a year and it may well increase. I would hate it to become very busy, as lots of applications are submitted in mid to late December and late July, so people in the community receive notifications at a time of year when they may be otherwise occupied. That might sound as if I am cynical and deeply suspicious of these processes, but my reading of the Bill is that the notification period in clause 50(5) is not up for negotiation with the commission, but is set by the applicants themselves.
I find it rather odd that the applicant decides how long people have to register an objection, but if that is to be the case, 28 days is overly generous to them in dictating that period. I hope that the Minister will consider the matter again. It is very important, as it is a real opportunity for people whose concerns have not been met at the pre-application stage to get involved at the application stage, and to ensure that all the evidence that they have to bring to bear is put forward. It is a crucial question, and I hope that he will be slightly less rigid at this juncture.