---

Planning Bill

I thank those who supported these amendments. I was interested to hear the Minister say that he would take away the measure and reconsider part of it. To our mind costs are involved. This is not a simple matter. Ownership of land is extremely complicated. Advice will have to be sought to get the right answer about who all the interested parties might be. They may be people who have rights of way or easements. Charities, property companies and trusts may be involved. It is not that simple. We still believe that 14 days is a very short period. I know that the Bill says, "““not … earlier than the end of the 14 days””," and that therefore the period could be longer than that. However, it is always tempting for the commission to say, ““How much notice do we have to give under the Bill? It says 14 days. OK, it will be 14 days””. That is the problem. There needs to be a bit of common sense and logic about when the notices are put forward. I look forward to reading the Minister’s remarks in his letter.