[Campaignforrealdemocracy] Urgent this Wed - Community Right of Appeal Private Members Bill

[Mark Barrett]

Dear All

*Campaign Request *

The Community Right of Appeal is a  Private Members Bill due to be debated
in Parliament *this Wed 24th April.* Please read about it at the links /
info below and contact your MP to ensure they are aware of it and that they
vote in support on Wed.

Info from Civic Voice on Bill here (also pasted below)
http://www.civicvoice.org.uk/news/civic-voice-joins-chris-skidmore-mp-in-wanting-to-give-the-community-a-right-to-appeal-/

You can make contact with your local MP via http://www.writetothem.com/ or
via Civic Voice
http://www.civicvoice.org.uk/campaigns/third-party-right-of-appeal/

Cheers

Mark
http://www.peoplesassemblies.org
@panworldwide

Press Release:Civic Voice joins Chris Skidmore MP in wanting to give the
Community a Right to Appeal

Over 100 MPs contacted by civic groups asking MPs to introduce a new
Community Right of Appeal

Civic Voice – the national charity for the civic movement with 75,000
members – is today urging individuals and communities across England to
contact their local MP to support a Private Members’ Bill due to be debated
in the House of Commons on April 26th.
The Private Members’ Bill, to be introduced by Chris Skidmore MP, means
communities could, if they met a particular threshold, put forward genuine
objections to developments as part of the planning process.

Civic Voice wants community groups to contact their local MP and ask them
to support the Private Bill when it is debated in the House of Commons on
April 26th.

*Paula Ridley CBE, Chair of Civic Voice *said, “A Community Right of Appeal
would complement and support the Localism Act in its aim of ensuring local
community views are seen as an important consideration in the planning
process. This is not about stopping development but ensuring that, where a
community has genuine concerns and enough people support it, a right of
appeal can be introduced”

*Chris Skidmore MP* said, “A community right of appeal for local
communities, particularly those who have adopted a neighbourhood plan,
would help to ensure that the planning process was more equal, at the same
time as ensuring that communities who have invested time and effort into
drawing up local neighbourhood plans would be given the security to know
that hostile planning applications that go against the plan could be
appealed in this way. While the trigger mechanism for how a right of appeal
might work can be debated, it seems sensible that a similar trigger to
thresholds for the the creation of parish councils could be adopted. This
is about ensuring that local resident’s voice can be heard and listened to”
Ridley finished by saying “It is widely thought that the power of the
Localism Act has been steadily eroded with the introduction of the Growth
and Infrastructure Bill. This is an opportunity for the Government to
introduce a piece of legislation that would demonstrate that Localism is
here to stay”.

Civic Voice has designed a website to allow individuals and community
groups to write a letter to their MP expressing support for the Bill. The
website can be accessed at
http://www.civicvoice.org.uk/campaigns/third-party-right-of-appeal/
<http://www.civicvoice.org.uk/campaigns/third-party-right-of-appeal/>

*NOTES FOR EDITORS*
Civic Voice is the national charity for the civic movement. We lead and
support civic societies as a national movement for quality of place, with
people actively improving their towns, cities and villages and promoting
civic pride. We speak up for civic societies and local communities across
England and we believe everyone should live somewhere they can be proud of.
Civic societies are the most numerous participants in the planning system.
Since its launch in April 2010, Civic Voice has been joined by over 290
civic societies with 75,000 members. Further information is available at
http://www.civicvoice.org.uk including how to join Civic Voice (£10
individuals) and contact details for local civic societies.

*FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:*
Steve Graham, Director, Civic Voice (m) 079217 67650
Ian Harvey, Co-ordinator, Civic Voice (m) 07877 096968 (t) 0151 708 9920
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