Oral Answers to Questions

Chi Onwurah Excerpts

Monday 8th September 2014 Commons Chamber

[Brandon Lewis]

I will write to the hon. Lady with that information.

[Chi Onwurah (Newcastle upon Tyne Central) (Lab)]

11. What assessment he has made of the adequacy of the discretion given to local authority officers in the national planning policy framework.

[The Minister of State, Department for Communities and Local Government (Brandon Lewis)]

Our planning reforms and locally led planning system have given more discretion to local authorities—to members, and through them, to local communities—especially when preparing local plans that identify where development should and should not go. Wherever possible we want local authorities to make decisions about their local areas.

[Chi Onwurah]

On Friday, following a concerted campaign by local residents, Newcastle city council exercised that discretion and rejected an application recommended by officers to site a two-storey McDonald’s drive-through opposite the city’s largest school at the northern gateway to our city. Does the Minister agree that the spirit of localism is best served by McDonald’s respecting democracy and not appealing?

[Brandon Lewis]

The hon. Lady will appreciate that I cannot comment on a particular planning application, but she is right to say that local democracy means that local decisions should be made by local members of local council authorities.