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Marine and Coastal Access Bill [HL]

This amendment is about the relationship between the planning system and the new coastal route and spreading room. To some extent this was covered earlier by the noble Lord, Lord Cameron of Dillington. It would be helpful if we had a much clearer idea, not necessarily of how the new coastal route and the coastal margin will fit into the planning system—although they will have to fit into local development plans—but how there will be a relationship between them. This is not a particularly coherent amendment, I regret to say; it is not one of my best. As we did not reach it last time, I promised myself I would rewrite it during the Recess, but I found other things to do like going to football matches. There are two aspects. One is how the existence of coastal margin land, particularly the coastal route, will be portrayed within the local development framework. It clearly will be because long-distance routes tend to appear on the local map at the moment. That question is not dealt with in this amendment. The second aspect is what happens when there are applications for planning permission or development consent for major infrastructure projects to the new Infrastructure Planning Commission. What will happen to the coastal route as a consequence of these planning applications and what will be the process by which this happens? These important matters ought to be considered. Natural England will clearly be at the forefront of looking at the effect that planning applications and potential developments have on the coastal route, but there needs to be a formal process. If it is an application for planning permission to a local authority, Natural England will probably be a consultee already in that process. It is not a statutory consultee under the Planning Act 2008 for applications for development consent but it ought to be if it affects a long-distance route, particularly the coastal route and the coastal margin. It ought to have the opportunity to make representations about the planning application as it is being considered. I am not suggesting that in most cases the existence of the coastal route will be a major material consideration in looking at a major planning application, but it might be. It certainly ought to be an important consideration in looking at a small local planning application to a local authority. The fact that a small development might have a significant effect by obstructing or in some way worsening the experience of the coastal route and the coastal margin ought to be something the local planning authority has to consider. It may not regard it as being the most important thing and it may give planning application after all, but if opinion is divided 50:50, it may tip the balance. On some parts of the coast, a planning application that threatens to spoil a major local tourist and recreational feature may be very significant indeed. At that stage, Natural England ought to have a clear statutory involvement and be able to make representations if it wants to. If a planning application that affects the coastal route is granted, there ought to be a clear process for dealing with the implications, either by organising replacement coastal margin land or by providing an alternative route, as part and parcel of the process of the planning application. This is kind of thing that local authorities deal with every day in planning applications and it ought to apply in this case. If it does not, Natural England should still have the responsibility to take action, by an appropriate diversion or some other way, to repair the damage that is being caused to the coastal route. I am probing how the planning system and the coastal access system will interrelate and how things will happen at different stages of the planning process, from people applying for planning permission to developments being carried out. It would be helpful if the Government were much clearer than they have been so far on these matters. I beg to move.