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Planning Bill

moved Amendment No. 8: 8: Clause 60, page 37, line 14, at end insert— ““( ) The deadline shall allow reasonable time for the preparation of the local impact report”” The noble Baroness said: My Lords, Amendment No. 8 is grouped with government Amendment No. 9. They relate to the clause that provides for local impact reports. We support government Amendment No. 9, which takes away the deadline for the deadline—if I can put it that way—for the provision of the local impact report, which will not now be required to be the deadline for completion of the examination. We support the thinking on this, which is to allow the applicant and other parties to ask questions about the local impact report and test it. However, it seems to me that there is a danger in leaving the matter open. In preparing the impact report, the local authority might find its time squeezed so that it has insufficient time to do justice to the matter—hence my amendment that the deadline must allow reasonable time for the preparation. I hope that the Minister can give me some assurances on that. Clearly, the commissioner needs to set a realistic timescale proportionate to the size of the task of the local authority. Ideally, there should be agreement between the parties—I use that term in its widest sense—on what is a reasonable time for the preparation of reports. I hope that the noble Baroness can assure me that common sense will apply and that the parties will all act as civilised adults in addressing the issue. I beg to move.