MP challenges new planning rules

1.10.20pm GMT Mon 11th Jun 2007

On Tuesday, Vincent Cable is due to raise an oral question in parliament with Ruth Kelly about the impact of the proposed new planning rules on local residents applying to make changes to their homes, like house extensions and loft conversions. The government is promising at the same time to speed up planning applications but also to introduce a system of "impact assessments" so that neighbours' concerns can be taken into account.

Vincent Cable said: "the government is saying diametrically opposite things: that it wants to make it easier for people to undertake changes to their homes and that it also wants to help neighbours who object. The new rules promise to be very confused. There are dozens of disputes all over the borough where people are incensed because of what their neighbours are doing to their homes in terms of the impact on privacy or light. The planners are caught in the middle".

"What I want to see is better a balanced system so that both developers and objectors have equal rights of appeal. At present only developers have appeal rights and this creates a real sense of injustice amongst those who raise what they think are well guaranteed objections but are ignored and have no further recourse. I want Ruth Kelly to be much clearer about what will happen".