31 Oct 2012, 4:26 pm
The leader of the House of Commons, Andrew Lansley, announced on Monday this week that the following day's proceedings in the House would be taken up by all stages of the Mental Health (Approval Functions) Bill, rather than the second reading of the Growth and Infrastructure Bill as scheduled.
Lansley said that the second reading would be rescheduled and that a date will be confirmed in a business statement on Thursday this week.
The Bill was laid before Parliament on 18 October. It implements a number of measures announced as part of the Government's planning and housing package announced in September, including options for certain planning applications to be made directly to the Planning Inspectorate (PINS); options to renegotiate economically unviable section 106 agreements and options for applications for nationally significant business and commercial projects to be brought under the infrastructure fast-track regime.
“It is extremely disappointing that the second reading of this important Bill has been bumped in priority," said Rebecca Warren, planning expert at Pinsent Masons, the law firm behind Out-Law.com. "The Bill contains mechanisms for assisting much needed delivery of development. The Bill will be contentious and pushing back its Parliamentary time sends the wrong message and gives more time to those wishing to frustrate development by seeking to spuriously register town and village greens.“
