Confusion surrounds planning strategy rejection

An MP has written to housing minister Yvette Cooper in an effort to find out why a regional planning strategy was rejected, it has been advised.

Andrew Tyrie is to ask for Ms Cooper's comments following the rejection of a Chichester initiative that could now result in a delay in the provision of hundreds of homes in the region, according to local media reports.

The Chichester Observer has said that Mr Tyrie is unsure why standard procedures have seemingly not been followed.

"I was surprised […] to learn that Sara Morgan, the planning inspector who examined the local development framework core strategy document, has asked the district council to put this on hold because she has concerns relating, as I understand it, to the evaluation of specific sites," he said, according to the newspaper.

"I was under the impression that such evaluation was supposed to be carried out at the detailed and not the strategic stage," Mr Tyrie added.

Ms Cooper is set to attend meetings of Gordon Brown's Cabinet in an attempt to push housing issues higher up the domestic agenda, it was revealed earlier this week.



© Adfero Ltd