The Institute has reinforced the concerns of other heritage bodies about the recently published Planning and Infrastructure Bill which removes the Secretary of State’s scrutiny from heritage aspects of infrastructure projects.
Section 37 of the proposed Bill seeks to amend the Transport and Works Act 1992, which currently requires applications for Listed Building Consent that are a consequence of an order under Section 1 (railways, tramways, or similar railed means of transport) or Section 3 (inland waterways) to be automatically passed to the Secretary of State by the Local Planning Authority (LPA).
The IHBC writes:
‘The proposed changes would deny the Secretary of State the duty and authority to weigh heritage matters. The proposed changes would effectively render any heritage concerns secondary to development, which not only prejudices the future of Britain’s built environment but is in direct contradiction to the intentions of the Town and Country Planning Act, and the related heritage protection laws. It would limit the planning balance that should take into account both development needs and heritage preservation.
By allowing the destruction or alteration of listed buildings or buildings in conservation areas without proper scrutiny, these changes would allow decisions to be made solely at the discretion of narrow interests, with no public or heritage consideration.’
The Bill also includes proposals for changes to Planning Committees including provisions that would allow the Government to control of the size and composition of planning committees and delegation controls to limit the applications that committees can determine, as well as a statutory requirement for training for committee members.
The IHBC writes:
‘The introduction of statutory training for Local Authority Planning Committee members is welcomed as it should lead to better informed, better considered and better-balanced decision making. However, restrictions on the ability of Planning Committees to determine planning applications strikes at the heart of the democratic process.”
The Planning and Infrastructure Bill has not been the subject of prior consultation and was launched with less than two weeks between its publication and first reading. The timescale and lack of opportunity to make constructive comments is a serious concern and the Institute is therefore responding to immediate concerns. Any further impacts for heritage protection will be considered by the Institute as the Bill progresses and as opportunity allows.
For more about the Planning & Infrastructure Bill see the IHBC NewsBlog
