Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the level of public engagement proposed for planning applications in the Planning for the Future White Paper.

The current planning system excludes residents who do not have the time to contribute to the lengthy and archaic planning process. A poll carried out last year found that only seven per cent of participants trusted their local council to make decisions about large scale development that will be good for their local area.

Improving engagement is at the heart of our proposals. The White Paper Planning for the Future sets out our ambition to give neighbourhoods and communities an earlier and more meaningful voice in the future of their area as plans are made. We have also proposed more and better use of digital technology, which will make it much easier to access and understand information about specific planning proposals. The proposals will move us away from notices on lampposts to an interactive, and accessible map-based online system – placing planning at the fingertips of people, and bringing it into the 21^st century.

The White Paper consultation has recently closed, and we will be reflecting upon the views of those that have responded as well as working with the local government sector and community groups to consider further how best to implement these reforms.