Deputy prime minister John Prescott has said that the government’s planning reforms will not be delayed by last month’s ministerial reshuffle.
In a letter to the Royal Town Planning Institute’s (RTPI) president, Mike Haslam, Prescott said that the reforms were on target.
He wrote: “I intend to continue driving forward the reform of the planning system, following the fundamental review set in hand by Stephen Byers and Lord Falconer.”
Prescott added that the government would adhere to the timetable laid down by Falconer before he moved to the Home Office.
He said: “The government is committed to publishing a policy statement setting out the proposals that we intend to take forward following the consultation process and I hope to do this before the summer recess.
“We will also seek early legislation to deliver the changes we propose.”
Prescott was writing to Haslam to apologise for the non-attendance of ministers from the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM) at this week’s RTPI annual conference.
The ODPM gained responsibility for planning when the DTLR was broken up in the reshuffle.
An ODPM spokesperson said that ministers could not attend the RTPI conference because of prior commitments.
EGi News 11/06/02
