Pendle peer Tony Greaves is urging the government to accommodate bank-holidays in the 21-day statutory consultation period for planning applications.
He told a House of Lords Debate:”In all the years I chaired committees with development control power, the greatest anger among members of the public came from their belief that they had not been consulted properly.
“They would be concerned about the planning application, but they would become angry because they had not been consulted.
“They would say: ‘The notice you put up was too small’; ‘It was across the other side of the field’; or even ‘The bull came and removed it’.
“One of the things that people get most upset about is when a consultation happens over Christmas or Easter.
“Pendle is flexible. If objections come in after the deadline but before the committee, they all get reported. Even so, people get upset.
“ I do not think it needs primary legislation, it just needs a change to either the development order or the advice and guidance to planning authorities.
“The government ought to say to authorities ‘Do not include bank holidays or holiday periods’.”
Government minister Lord Bourne said: “There is some flexibility during the periods of bank holidays.”
Article originally published by Lancashire Telegraph
