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Planning Bill

The hon. Gentleman tempts me into territory that we shall deal with at length in debates to come. Essentially, the Bill contains a number of new steps, including, for the first time, a legal duty and requirement on any promoter of an application or a project to consult widely—local councils and local communities—in preparing an application. So, promoters much make clear the degree to which they want to include in a single application elements covering any of those areas as part of the consent application. The commission will not even receive and consider any application unless the pre-application requirements have been properly carried out. Then, any local interest, local group, local resident, local council or anyone concerned will have the right through the application process to register their concern in writing, and will have the right to be heard orally as part of one of the sessions that the IPC will conduct. Therefore, they can alert the IPC to areas that perhaps require questioning by the commission of the promoter during consideration of an application. There should be ample information and publication, proper cross-questioning and full consideration of any elements such as this that may form part of an application for a single consent. I hope that what I have said helps the House. Question put and agreed to. Clause read a Second time, and added to the Bill.