Petition for parishes to win right of appeal in planning nets 10,000 backers

A petition calling for parish councils to be given a right to appeal planning decisions to the Planning Inspectorate has secured more than 10,000 backers.

The petition for a limited third party right of appeal has been backed by the National Association of Local Councils.

NALC said: “The planning system is unfair. It is one of the few decision-making processes that gives no right of appeal to affected third parties.”

Exceeding the 10,000 signature threshold means that the Government is committed to give a response. As at 30 March, the petition had attracted 10,131 backers.

The petition says: “There is a fundamental imbalance in the planning system. Under current rules, if a council refuses a planning application, the applicant is allowed to appeal to the Planning Inspectorate. If a council approves an application, no one has the right to appeal.

“With the national presumption in favour of sustainable development throwing the planning system into disarray, in the interest of justice, the government should give parish councils the right to appeal planning decisions.”

Should the petition reach 100,000 signatures then it will be considered for a debate in Parliament.

More details on the petition can be found here. The deadline is 19 April 2016.