John Mann – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Mann on 2014-06-04.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, of how many local authority plans arising from which authorities he has rejected the proposed local development framework and required additional housing supply in excess of that specified in the regional spatial strategy.

Nick Boles

[Holding Reply: Monday 9 June 2014]

The Secretary of State has not rejected any Local Plan.

The Coalition Government has put Local Plans and local councils at the heart of planning. We have abolished the unpopular and ineffective top-down targets in Regional Strategies, shifting power and responsibility for housing and planning to local councils and local communities. Regional Strategies are no longer relevant for Local Plans coming forward for examination.

The Localism Act 2011 removed planning inspectors’ powers to impose changes on local authorities’ draft Local Plans. Instead, independent planning inspectors now report to the local authority and identify any conflicts between a draft Local Plan and national policy and regulatory process. They are able to recommend modifications to overcome these issues if they are asked to do so by the council itself. The local authority is free to choose to accept the inspector’s modifications and adopt the draft plan, or resubmit a new plan. This approach is aimed at encouraging a more collaborative process as the public examination proceeds.