In a move widely welcomed by parties seriously concerned by the first draft of PPS 15, Planning and the Historic Environment, the CLG and CMS Parliamentary Committees have joined together to call for substantial consultation and scrutiny across the sector of the promised redraft.
In a letter to the Minister for Planning, John Healey MP, Dr Phyllis Starkey MP, Chair, CLG Committee & John Whittingdale MP, Chairman, CMS Committee, write:
‘We write following the receipt by both of our Committees of a significant amount of correspondence from interested parties concerning the recently-published draft planning policy statement on the historic environment (PPS15). It appears that there is a considerable degree of concern amongst a range of stakeholders about the proposals contained in this draft.
We understand that you have noted these concerns, and you are reported as having said
The current language in the planning policy statement is not clear enough. We will redraft it to make clear that the protection of heritage buildings will not be reduced…
The consultation shows that there is some confusion, which we will clear up before we publish the final statement.
In the light of the concerns which have been raised with us, we are pleased to see that you are committed to redrafting the statement. However, we note that you have not committed yourself to consulting stakeholders on the redrafted PPS to ensure that their concerns have been appropriately addressed.
Our Committees have no current plans to take oral evidence on this PPS. However, the weight of opinion amongst stakeholders is such that they may wish to consider doing so if stakeholders’ concerns are not allayed. A commitment to ensuring that there is adequate opportunity to comment on the redrafted policy before it is finalised would, we are sure, go some way towards reassuring not only stakeholders but also our two Committees that the Government is treating their concerns seriously.
We are copying this letter to the Institute of Historic Building Conservation, APT, the UK Association of Preservation Trusts, the Historic Towns Forum, Heritage Link, the Joint Committee of the National Amenity Societies and the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings, all of whom have been in correspondence with us on this matter.’
