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Planning Bill

I support this general collection of amendments, as the noble Lord, Lord Greaves described it. The motivation is similar in almost all of them. In the Bill, we are engaged in a process of accelerating and improving the planning procedures for massive projects that will affect an enormous number of people. I am in favour of that. However, when the public fully comprehend what we are doing, they will ask two questions: who is going to be consulted and by what means will people discover what is proposed? Those are the points that will come to the top of the pile when people begin to discover what is happening. I support these amendments about the process of consultation and the publicity for it. I specifically support Amendment No. 74, which was tabled by the noble Lords, Lord Judd and Lord Greaves. As they say on television, it is location, location, location that matters. Even if a project is excellent, if it is proposed to be in a national park, it is obvious that the national park, as the planning authority and the guardian of that part of our countryside, needs to be properly consulted. I hope that the Minister will be in a benevolent mood, as she often is, in relation to Amendment No. 74 in particular, but if she wants to favour all the others as well, I will be happy.