PLANNING BILL AND PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT

That this House welcomes the Government's stated intention of improving public involvement in the Major Infrastructure Projects (MIPs) planning process; believes that the Planning Bill and the legitimacy of MIP decisions would be considerably strengthened if they retained the existing public right to appear at inquiries and meaningfully scrutinise proposals; considers that this right should also be extended to the public consultation process on National Policy Statements; regrets the value of pre-application public consultation by applicants as limited unless it is backed by a clearly defined and binding guidance and a requirement to report on issues raised during consultation and action taken on them; and calls on the Government to strengthen the provision for public involvement by ensuring impartial and transparent framework for consultation and by encouraging active measures to encourage participation.