Planning: Local Government
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether his Department is taking steps to help ensure that national planning policy does not override locally adopted plans and that planning decisions remain accountable to locally elected authorities.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook
By law, planning applications must be determined in accordance with the development plan for the area, unless material considerations indicate otherwise.
The National Planning Policy Framework must be taken into account in preparing the development plan, and is a material consideration in planning decisions.
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