Ms Rachel Kenny:

It is in respect of planning authorities being bypassed and so on. As Mr. Hyde said, we are probably not determining a greater number under section 34 versus SHD. I started my career in the local authority system and worked there for 20 years. As such, I have huge respect for the planners and those who work in that system for local democracy. Our intention has been to implement this with fairness, integrity and total respect for those within the planning authority system. A planning authority has three opportunities to influence and shape the applications that come before the board. These are the section 247 pre-application consultation, the pre-application consultation submitted under SHD, and the application stage itself. They influence those stages very heavily.

At pre-application consultation stage, which is where I am often involved, all opinions that have been issued would reflect the views, concerns and requirements in terms of information, further justification and further changes that planning authorities would express at that meeting and which they have been unable to advance, even at the section 247 stage. At application stage, we get a further planner's report and planning authority report, in terms of the chief executive's report, and a separate report from the elected members which also influences the determination. For the most part, the board and the planning authorities remain largely consistent in their views in respect of the proposals that come before the board. It is not the case that there is a 100% overturn rate and the planning authority recommends one thing but the board goes off in another direction. At all stages, the planning authority has a major role to play and has a further role to play even after the development. At no stage do we bypass or ignore. We try to strike a balance bearing in mind that we are often bound by local area plans which, as Deputy Casey mentioned, could be 20 years out of date. We try to strike a balance between that and the emerging changes in guidelines.