The Select Committee on the Natural Environment and Rural
Communities Act 2006 will continue taking evidence for its inquiry
on Tuesday 7 November. The Committee will question the Town and
Country Planning Association and local authorities from Cumbria and
Hampshire.
This evidence session will consider whether the
structures created by the NERC Act 2006 are able to ensure that
government policies work as well in rural areas as in urban
areas—especially since some of those structures have been scaled
back or abolished. The session will have a particular focus on
housing and planning.
Topics likely to be covered
include:
-
To what extent does Government policy take proper
account of the needs of rural areas?
-
Is there sufficient co-ordination of rural policy
across Whitehall departments, and vertically between central
and local government?
-
How widely understood is the biodiversity duty,
both by local authorities and within other public
bodies?
-
What contribution does Natural England make to the
town planning process, both at the level of individual
applications and more broadly?
-
Is there anything in the NERC Act 2006, or in
Natural England’s role, that needs to change in light of the
abolition of many national and regional planning structures in
the period since 2006?
At 11:05am the Committee will hear evidence
from:
-
Dr Hugh
Ellis, Director of
Policy, Town and Country Planning Association
-
Trevor
Cherrett, Policy
Council Member, Town and Country Planning Association,
specialising in rural affairs
At 12:05pm the Committee will hear evidence
from:
-
Cllr , Deputy
Leader, Cumbria County Council and Spokesman on Environment and
Communities for the County Councils Network
-
Mr Daryl
Phillips, Joint Chief
Executive, Hart District Council and Chief Executive Planning
Lead for the District Councils Network
The evidence sessions will begin at
11:05am, Tuesday 7 November in Committee Room 1 of the House of
Lords.
