The Shadow Minister for Climate Change and Member of the Welsh Parliament for Aberconwy, Janet Finch-Saunders MS, has urged the Welsh Government to collaborate across departments to ensure that Wales can have “a more efficient and accessible call-in system” to provide residents with an opportunity to engage with the planning process.
In her question to the Counsel General today, Mrs Finch-Saunders highlighted that 56 called-in planning cases remain without a final decision, with at least two open cases having commenced on 2 August 2012.
Speaking after her contribution, Janet said:
“The backlog of cases with Welsh Ministers is a real point of concern and one which highlights that our clunky and complex planning process is non-functioning at the highest level.
“Welsh Government guidance states that ‘anyone can submit a request for a planning application to be called in for determination.’ This is an admirable aim that should be safeguarded.
“However, whilst it is certainly true that any interested resident can indeed write in, I am greatly concerned that the complexity of planning policy is now actively acting as a deterrent for some to participate.
“With this in mind, I have called on Ministers from across the Welsh Government to collaborate to ensure that we have a more efficient and accessible call-in system which provides residents with a real chance to engage with the planning process.”
