Planning posers

The Growth and Infrastructure Bill, which returns to the Commons today after close scrutiny by the Lords, is a case in point. While the Government’s attempt to streamline planning laws is part of a wider drive to reinvigorate the economy, two unforeseen consequences require further debate.

First, home extensions. Communities and Local Government Secretary Eric Pickles, a one-time Bradford Council leader, caused consternation when he suggested that home extensions would not require planning permission. The Lords has responded by suggesting that town halls could opt out of this deregulation.

However, this means there will be no consistency in the implementation of planning rules – extensions could still be built that pay little regard to the impact on neighbouring homes.

Next, national parks. In a bid to accelerate the rolling out of broadband access to isolated communities, the Government is prepared to give the green light to the erection of overhead cables in iconic locations like the Yorkshire Dales and North York Moors. Again, the intention is sound – but Mr Pickles appears to be paying little attention to the aesthetic appeal of these landscapes.

Perhaps this is not surprising – Mr Pickles is, after all, the Minister who told the BBC’s Desert Island Discs that the marshlands and flatlands in Essex, his adopted county, are preferable to his native Yorkshire. If the Lords can make the Cabinet minister think again, they will have performed an invaluable service to the country.