Part of 2. Questions to the Counsel General – in the Senedd at 2:19 pm on 28 November 2018.
Thank you very much for that response, but, certainly, every Member in this Chamber will have received complaints at some point or another from local residents because they weren’t aware of a planning application introduced to the local authority. By the time they do learn about it, then very often the decision has already been made. Usually, the local authority will have put a notice on a remote lamp post somewhere, and will consider this to be adequate in terms of public consultation. Quite simply, many feel that the legal requirements on local authorities to consult on planning applications are too weak. So, have you had any discussions with the Cabinet Secretary for Energy, Planning and Rural Affairs on this issue, and do you believe that additional legal provision is required in order to ensure that appropriate consultation happens, particularly with local residents, in line with the requirements of the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015?