Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to prevent developers from making repeat applications to build on land unfit for development.

Local planning authorities have powers to decline to determine planning applications if they have previously refused permission for two or more substantially similar applications on the same site, or if a substantially similar application has been rejected by the Secretary of State on appeal or following call-in, within the past two years. These powers are set out in sections 70A and 70B of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 (as amended).