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Written question asked by Mark Menzies (Independent (affiliation)) on Thursday, 2 May 2024, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 7 May 2024. It was answered by Lee Rowley (Conservative) on Monday, 13 May 2024 on behalf of the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.


Infrastructure: Public Consultation

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps he plans to take to improve local consultation on nationally significant infrastructure projects.

Answer

Effective consultation with local communities on nationally significant infrastructure projects (NSIPs) is essential to ensuring that projects are delivered in the right way. That is why on 30 April we updated our guidance on public consultation during the pre-application stage for NSIPs.

This new guidance outlines the expectations examining inspectors will have that effective engagement will support better quality applications. Applicants will now be required to include a clear programme of engagement which reflects the complexity and scale of the project proposed.

The guidance also emphasises the importance of frontloaded consultation so that applicants can resolve issues at an early stage, and how communities can influence and shape projects so they can be accommodated to maximise local benefits and minimise any disbenefits.


Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
24641
Session
2023-24
Transferred
Yes
Subjects
Infrastructure Public consultation
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk