Effect of National Planning Policy Framework replacing PPSs/PPGs - Public forum - Planning Advisory Service (PAS)

This is probably a reminder that local policies need to be justified by local circumstances, whilst being compliant with national guidance and legislation. In other words, if a local policy were to be undermined by a more streamlined national policy framework, is it really doing the right job in the first place?

Paul. you are concerned that there is a risk that some important policy guidance contained in PPS's and PPG's will fall through the net. I think I have an example for you - the 'Presumption Against Opencast Mining' clauses in MPG 3. I have tried to attach a Briefing Note "Energy Policy and the proposed National Planning Policy Framework" (E2) which explains why I argue that this might be the case. This is a researched and fully referenced 23 page report.written for the Minorca Opencast Protest Group who were the group who drew attention to the lack of a 500m Buffer Zone for such mining applications in England. This led to the recent attempt to introduce such a zone via a Private Members Bill. This note presents an argument which accounts for why this proposal lacked Government support, because it is suspected the new national planning policy framework will treat coal as no different from other nationally strategically important minerals However my attempt to attach the document has been unsuccessful. Instead it can be downloaded for free from: http://www.leicestershirevillages.com/measham/mopg-briefing-notes-series.html