Casinos
Communities and Local Government
Written answers and statements, 11 October 2006
Malcolm Moss (Shadow Minister (Culture, Media & Sport), Culture, Media & Sport; North East Cambridgeshire, Conservative)
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government
(1) what role her Department has in planning issues relating to casinos; and if she will make a statement;
(2) what her Department's policy is on regeneration associated with regional casino development; and if she will make a statement;
(3) what recommendations and advice her Department has given to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport on the (a) development, (b) location and (c) potential economic impact of regional casinos.
Meg Munn (Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Women and Equality), Department for Communities and Local Government; Sheffield, Heeley, Labour)
The Department for Communities and Local Government's (DCLG) principal areas of responsibility regarding planning issues relating to casinos are planning legislation, planning policy, development plans and planning applications. We are working with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) to ensure that the licensing and planning regimes, though separate, work well together.
The Department has recently been responsible for introducing changes in secondary legislation to tighten the controls in relation to changes of use of existing premises. Prior to April 2006, casinos were classified as part of Class D2: "Assembly and Leisure". This meant that any use within Class D2 could undergo a change of use to a casino and would not be considered as development, and would not therefore need planning permission. In April 2006, we amended the regulations for casinos, removing them from class D2 of the "Use Classes Order", so that planning permission is needed for changes of use to a casino.
The Department also has lead responsibility for developing national planning policy. Relevant policy statements include Planning Policy Statement 6 "Planning for Town Centres" and Planning Policy Guidance Note 13: "Transport", and the two joint DCMS/DCLG policy statements of August 2003 and June 2004.
In relation to development plans, Regional Planning Bodies in developing draft revisions to Regional Spatial Strategies (RSS) will need to consider possible broad locations for a regional casino within their region, taking into account national planning policy. Following a statutory process of consideration of the draft RSS proposals, the final RSS is issued and approved by the Secretary of State, except in London where the Mayor is responsible for preparing and publishing the London Plan, subject to reserve powers of direction by the Secretary of State.
The identification of specific sites for casinos will be for local planning authorities in their local development frameworks, having regard to national policy and the Regional Spatial Strategy. The Secretary of State has reserve powers to direct changes to be made to local development frameworks.
Local planning authorities are also responsible for deciding planning applications for casino developments, unless the application is called in for decision by the Secretary of State. Such a decision would be made in the light of the Government's policy on calling in planning applications.
The advice that DCLG gave DCMS, on the development, location and potential economic impact of regional casinos is reflected in the Government's national policy statement on casinos announced on