Natascha Engel
Main Page: Natascha Engel (Labour - North East Derbyshire)
Mr Pickles
Article 4 has been remarkably successful in both protecting local pubs and regulating unwanted additional shops on the high street. I remind my hon. Friend that in the Budget the Chancellor announced that we will review use class and issue a consultation in the not-too-distant future. I hope that my hon. Friend will contribute to that consultation.
Natascha Engel (North East Derbyshire) (Lab)
5. If he will take steps to ensure that the views of local people are given priority in planning decisions on large-scale housing projects.
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (Nick Boles)
Every area of the country needs more housing, and the views of local people are crucial in determining where and how those needs should be met, not least through local plans.
Natascha Engel
We need new homes in North East Derbyshire. The issue is that local people want to have a say in where those houses go, but their opinions and the decisions of the local planning authority are being overruled by the Government’s planning inspector. This is the opposite of localism, so what is the Minister doing to make sure that local people’s concerns are not being ignored?
Nick Boles
The opposite of localism was the situation we inherited in 2010, when only 35% of local authorities even had a published draft local plan. Now 55% of local authorities have a sound local plan and more than 75% have published a draft plan. That is the way for local people to decide locally, rather than the regional strategies that the hon. Lady supported. That is the way to ensure that local decisions inform development.