Asked by: Sam Carling (Labour - North West Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to tackle repeated retrospective planning applications designed to delay enforcement action on projects which have already had permission rejected.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Under the Town and Country Planning Act 1990, local planning authorities have various powers to decline to determine planning applications. These include the power to decline to determine a retrospective planning application where an enforcement notice has already been issued (section 70C) and the power to decline to determine repeat planning applications (section 70A).
It is for local planning authorities to decide when and how they use these powers.
Asked by: Sam Carling (Labour - North West Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what progress her Department has made on improving access to pet friendly properties in the (a) social and (b) private rented sectors.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The government wants to ensure more tenants can experience the benefits of pet ownership – including the benefits to mental and physical health. Many social landlords set out their pet policies in their tenancy agreements and will allow tenants to keep pets where it is appropriate to do so. Consideration is given to whether the pets can be well looked after and any adverse effects on the lives of neighbours and those living nearby. We encourage all social landlords to adopt similar policies. The circumstances in which pets may be kept is, however, for social landlords to determine locally, taking account of the views of their tenants.
The Renters’ Rights Bill will give private tenants the right to request a pet and ensure that landlords cannot unreasonably withhold consent. Landlords will be required to respond to any requests by a tenant to keep a pet within 28 days, instead of the 42 that had been proposed by the previous Government. Tenants will also be able to challenge unfair decisions by either going to the courts or the new Private Rented Sector Ombudsman.