Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether she plans to take legislative steps to instruct councils to overturn decisions on use class properties.

The government has no plans to legislate to require planning decisions, including those related to change of use, to be overturned.

Local planning authorities have the power to revoke or modify planning permission under section 97 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990.

However, such action can only be taken before a planning permission has been implemented and the local authority may be liable to pay compensation to the developer.