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

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will alter planning rules to allow for applications for planning permission to be refused by people for reasons other than planning grounds and for local authorities to be able to take ethical and non-local environmental matters into account.

There are no plans to change planning rules to allow for planning applications to be refused for reasons other than planning reasons.

Planning applications are considered on their own merits and, by law, are determined in accordance with the development plan for the area, unless material considerations indicate otherwise.