TCPA calls for eco-town inquiries

Michael Donnelly, PlanningResource, 24 June 2008

TCPA chief executive Gideon Amos said: Our members are clear – the highest standards can be and must be achieved in any eco-towns that go ahead but key safeguards are needed to the process and we are, therefore calling for a full public local inquiry in any location not already allocated for development.

Some Eco-town locations have already been allocated for development by local authority Structure Plans, Local Development Frameworks or Regional Spatial Strategies. In these cases an Examination in Public has already been held on the location for development and therefore the TCPA believes a Public Inquiry would have little to add.
 
Amos said: "Local authority led development plans remain the best way to bring forward all development. However, it is often a painfully slow process and the government has chosen instead to act much faster because of the urgency of a changing climate and because of a shortage of family homes. This has raised concerns about whether planning applications will be decided on their merits.

The TCPA statement calls for whatever process is used to serve the interests of natural justice including a right to be heard afforded to those affected and all environmental assessments as normally required.

Amos added: The Association's members also concluded that the Development Plan process will have to work considerably faster if politicians’ desire to have big proposals, such as for eco-towns and airports, decided quickly.  The TCPA believes progression of proposals for five to seven years through regional and local plans is too slow.
 
The statement proposes the consideration of an expedited plan making process that could run alongside consideration of major planning applications.