Some links and info for local planning / democracy activists<br><br><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/sep/04/big-local-difficulty-eric-pickles">http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/sep/04/big-local-difficulty-eric-pickles</a><br>
about the scrutiny of local authorities<br><br><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/aug/30/coalition-government-lobbyists-vested-interests">http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/aug/30/coalition-government-lobbyists-vested-interests</a><br>
about the planning reforms and its effect on rural england <br><br>and about a good looking potential initiatve under the sustainable communities act:<br>---------- Forwarded message ----------<br><div class="gmail_quote">
From: <b class="gmail_sendername">Karen Leach</b> <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:karen@localisewestmidlands.org.uk">karen@localisewestmidlands.org.uk</a>></span><br><font face="Calibri">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.</font><div bgcolor="#ffffff">
<div><font face="Calibri"></font> </div>
<div><font face="Calibri">If you agree too, then please support it as suggested by
Local Works!</font></div>
<div><font face="Calibri"></font> </div>
<div><font face="Calibri">Karen</font> </div>
<div style="font: 10pt arial;">----- Original Message -----
<div style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% rgb(228, 228, 228);"><b>From:</b> <a title="steve@unlockdemocracy.org.uk" href="mailto:steve@unlockdemocracy.org.uk" target="_blank">Steve Shaw, Unlock Democracy</a>
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<div><b>To:</b> <a title="info@localisewestmidlands.org.uk" href="mailto:info@localisewestmidlands.org.uk" target="_blank">Karen Leach</a> </div>
<div><b>Sent:</b> Wednesday, August 31, 2011 10:46 AM</div>
<div><b>Subject:</b> Urgent Action Request: Exciting new Sustainable Communities
Act planning reform proposal</div></div>
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<p>Dear Karen</p>
<p>We need your help urgently with something!...</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>Currently they have great difficulty doing this, often having to
try to assess thousands of pages of technical documentation.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p><b>ACTION - Please help urgently </b></p>
<p>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:</p>
<p><b>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…</b></p>
<p><b>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.’</b></p>
<p>Note: You can find your MP's contact details here: <a href="http://action.unlockdemocracy.org.uk/page/m/1e113806/79dd31c6/14dd3546/651358/2075903933/VEsE/" target="_blank">http://findyourmp.parliament.uk</a>
and Greg Clark’s address is Greg Clark MP, House of Commons, London
SW1A 0AA and his email is <a href="mailto:greg.clark.mp@parliament.uk" target="_blank">greg.clark.mp@parliament.uk</a></p>
<p><b>Further information and background</b></p>
<p>The full proposal can be viewed here: <a href="http://action.unlockdemocracy.org.uk/page/m/1e113806/79dd31c6/14dd3546/651359/2075903933/VEsF/" target="_blank">http://www.localworks.org/node/135</a></p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>I emphasise that the proposal <b>enables and
empowers</b> councils if they wish, they are not
<b>required</b> to do anything. It would help councillors
when making recommendations on large planning applications.</p>
<p>Yours sincerely</p>
<p>Steve Shaw</p>
<p>National Co-ordinator of Local Works</p>
<p>direct: 020 7239 9053 office: 020 7278 4443 mobile: 07788
646 933<br>website: <a title="blocked::http://www.localworks.org/" href="http://www.localworks.org" target="_blank">www.localworks.org</a></p><font color="#000000" face="Calibri">
<p><font size="3">[Copied from the website:]</font></p>
<p><font size="3">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. </font></p>
<p><font size="3">The proposal was made under the Sustainable
Communities Act by Leiston Town Council in Suffolk and, if agreed by
the government, would apply nationally.</font></p>
<p><font size="3">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. </font></p>
<p><font size="3"><b>In summary, the proposal is to require
applicants of major developments to:</b></font></p>
<p><font size="3"><b>- 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</b></font></p>
<p><font size="3"><b>- 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.</b></font></p>
<p><font size="3"><b>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.
</b></font></p>
<p><font size="3">Read the full proposal and rationale that Leiston
Town Council provided for the Suffolk Association of Local Councils
when gaining their support </font><a href="http://www.localworks.org/files/localworks.org/Leiston%20TC%20SCA%20proposal%20and%20rationale%20for%20SALC.doc" target="_blank"><u><font color="#0000ff" size="3">here</font></u></a><font size="3">.</font></p>
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</div><br><br clear="all"><br>-- <br>Apathy is Dead ! <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/solarider/5254770064/#/photos/solarider/5254770064/lightbox/" target="_blank">http://www.flickr.com/photos/solarider/5254770064/#/photos/solarider/5254770064/lightbox/</a><br>
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