Mike Hedges AM asks for Welsh Government Statement on the Planning Inspectorate making decisions which consistently over rule local authorities and the wishes of those who live with the consequences of these decisions.

Mike Hedges AM asks for Welsh Government Statement on the Planning Inspectorate making decisions which consistently over rule local authorities and the wishes of those who live with the consequences of these decisions.

Speaking after the Senedd, Swansea East AM said… I welcome the response from the Leader of the House. Local Authorities are the people who should make local decisions on planning matters. There should be no role for people who do not live in the area and who do not understand issues such as traffic flows and ‘rat runs’; People who have lived in quiet streets often have their lives turned upside down, after the local authority has made a decision to say no to another HMO in their area. I am pleased that the Welsh Government will make a statement on this in due course.

Mike Hedges AM - The second is a Welsh Government statement on the Planning Inspectorate, including planning inspectors giving permission for houses in multiple occupation against the wishes of the council and local people. I'm sure that's something that the leader of the house knows a great deal about. And if I say Brynmill, well, St Thomas and Port Tennant have now become the new Brynmill. As you know, I do not believe that there's a role for the planning inspector in a democracy. Councils should decide, and an unhappy applicant should go to judicial review. Someone coming in who knows nothing about the area, making decisions that have catastrophic affects upon the lives of individuals, I think, is anti-democratic, and it certainly causes huge problems in my area and, as I know in the past, it has in yours.

Julie James AM - Copy To Clipboard Share To Facebook Share To Twitter Share To LinkedIn

Indeed, yes. On that one, obviously, we don't have any direct control over the Planning Inspectorate, which is a separate organisation to the Welsh Government acting on its behalf. However, we do, from time to time, issue guidance and policy documents around understanding the issues, and I've had conversations with the Cabinet Secretary about whether, for university towns, it's beneficial to do that. I certainly share his concern in that regard and the enforceability of any density policy that any local authority would want to put up and what effect that might have on subsequent appeals. 349