Tim Eagle will not be surprised to hear that his characterisation of those reforms is not in line with my vision. I want to see enhanced opportunities for communities to be involved at the earliest stages of consultation. We are not waiting for the consultation to go through the UK Government; we are bringing out proposed guidance for community consultation.

I have always believed that community consultation should be mandatory and should come with associated guidance, because I agree with Tim Eagle that communities deserve, and should have, meaningful opportunities to engage with developers well before applications go in.