[Campaignforrealdemocracy] Planning Fwd: Fw: Urgent Action Request: Exciting new Sustainable Communities Act planning reform proposal

[Mark Barrett]

Some links and info for local planning / democracy activists

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/sep/04/big-local-difficulty-eric-pickles
about the scrutiny of local authorities

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/aug/30/coalition-government-lobbyists-vested-interests
about the planning reforms and its effect on rural england

and about a good looking potential initiatve under the sustainable
communities act:
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Karen Leach <karen at localisewestmidlands.org.uk>
Very interested to know what people think of this - it sounds good to me. I
have copied the summary of the proposal at the end of the email.

If you agree too, then please support it as suggested by Local Works!

Karen
----- Original Message -----
*From:* Steve Shaw, Unlock Democracy <steve at unlockdemocracy.org.uk>
*To:* Karen Leach <info at localisewestmidlands.org.uk>
*Sent:* Wednesday, August 31, 2011 10:46 AM
*Subject:* Urgent Action Request: Exciting new Sustainable Communities Act
planning reform proposal



Dear Karen

We need your help urgently with something!...

Local Works is pushing a proposal made under the Sustainable Communities Act
that will give parish and town councils new powers to better assess major
planning applications.

Currently they have great difficulty doing this, often having to try to
assess thousands of pages of technical documentation.

An astonishing 1,100 parish and town councils have given their support to
this proposal, that originated in Leiston-cum-Sizewell Town Council in
Suffolk, which currently faces an application for a large Tesco. This has
impressed and put pressure on the government: we are now in talks with
senior Whitehall civil servants.

What seemed like a ‘long shot’ now looks to have a real chance of success.
What could now sway this is a show of broad support - hence this request to
you.

*ACTION - Please help urgently *

On Monday next week MPs will return to Parliament. It would be great if you
could contact them before then asking them to write to the relevant Minister
asking him to agree the proposal. So please:

*1. Write to, or email, your MP asking them to ‘Please write to Localism
Minister, Greg Clark, asking him to please agree to implement the
Sustainable Communities Act planning reform proposal submitted by
Leiston-cum-Sizewell Town Council.’, and if you have time…*

*2. Write to, or email, the Localism Minister, Greg Clark asking him to
‘Please agree the to implement the Sustainable Communities Act planning
reform proposal submitted by Leiston-cum-Sizewell Town Council.’*

Note: You can find your MP's contact details here:
http://findyourmp.parliament.uk<http://action.unlockdemocracy.org.uk/page/m/1e113806/79dd31c6/14dd3546/651358/2075903933/VEsE/>and
Greg Clark’s address is Greg Clark MP, House of Commons, London SW1A
0AA
and his email is greg.clark.mp at parliament.uk

*Further information and background*

The full proposal can be viewed here:
http://www.localworks.org/node/135<http://action.unlockdemocracy.org.uk/page/m/1e113806/79dd31c6/14dd3546/651359/2075903933/VEsF/>

We have had an amazing number of responses from many local councils where
they have described the boxes of documents they receive when having to
consider large planning applications - the problem is clearly happening all
over the country.

I emphasise that the proposal *enables and empowers* councils if they wish,
they are not *required* to do anything. It would help councillors when
making recommendations on large planning applications.

Yours sincerely

Steve Shaw

National Co-ordinator of Local Works

direct: 020 7239 9053 office: 020 7278 4443 mobile: 07788 646 933
website: www.localworks.org

[Copied from the website:]

Local Works is supporting a proposal that is all about why the campaign for
the Sustainable Communities Act was originally started – ending ‘Ghost Town
Britain’ and empowering local people.

The proposal was made under the Sustainable Communities Act by Leiston Town
Council in Suffolk and, if agreed by the government, would apply nationally.

The proposal is a very reasonable suggestion for the government to amend
planning policy and guidance in a way that would help locally elected
decision makers.

*In summary, the proposal is to require applicants of major developments to:
*

*- attend a meeting of the local Town or Parish Council, or of a duly called
Town Meeting, to answer questions on the application for development; and*

*- fund the council or duly called town meeting to commission an independent
report on the application and critique of any reports that the applicant has
submitted in support of the application for development.*

*The rationale is that local elected representatives and local people should
be making their decision on whether an application should go ahead based on
the best evidence, and this would help ensure that evidence was available. *

Read the full proposal and rationale that Leiston Town Council provided for
the Suffolk Association of Local Councils when gaining their support
*here*<http://www.localworks.org/files/localworks.org/Leiston%20TC%20SCA%20proposal%20and%20rationale%20for%20SALC.doc>
.



-- 
Apathy is Dead !
http://www.flickr.com/photos/solarider/5254770064/#/photos/solarider/5254770064/lightbox/
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