Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the proposal for a sand extraction quarry in the conservation area of Compton Bassett; and what plans they have to give local residents more powers to oppose such planning applications.

This proposal was considered by Wiltshire Council's strategic planning committee on 14 July. Government policy is that local planning authorities should, in general, be free to carry out their duties with regard to day-to-day planning control in their areas with the minimum of interference. Our proposed planning reforms will deliver a simpler, faster, more transparent process, giving communities certainty over what development is permitted through clear land allocations in local plans.