To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what guidance her Department has provided to local authorities on (a) predetermination and (b) predisposition in respect of planning decisions. (262372)

Every local authority is required to adopt a code of conduct that sets out rules governing the behaviour of its members. The Standards Board for England, sponsored by Communities and Local Government, is responsible for promoting and improving the ethical behaviour of local authorities and their members. It publishes a range of guidance documents to help local authorities and their members interpret the code of conduct, including the revised “Code of Conduct—A Guide for Members”, published in May 2007. In August 2007, the Board published an Occasional Paper, “Predisposition, Pre-determination and the Code”, to help clarify the issues of predetermination and bias.

In October 2008, Communities and Local Government issued “Guidance on Planning and Propriety Issues”, which deals with the propriety issues that can arise in connection with the Secretary of State exercising decision-making functions under the Town and Country Planning Acts.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what changes have been made to the period before expiry of planning permissions since 1997; and what representations her Department has received on extending this period in the last six months. (262382)

Since 2005, under a provision in the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004, the default period for the implementation of a planning permission has been three years. The Act also amended primary legislation so that a planning permission could no longer be extended by an application to vary a condition. The Department has received representations in the last six months on extending the period before the expiry of planning permissions from the Local Government Association, the Confederation of British Industry and the British Property Federation.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what use her Department and its predecessors have made of special development orders since May 1997. (262603)

There have been two special development orders made in England since 1997. These were the Town and Country Planning (London Borough of Camden) Special Development Order 2004 (SI 2004/1231) and the Town and Country Planning (London Borough of Camden) Special Development (Amendment) Order 2004 (SI 2004/2355). The first order made provision for publicity for some planning applications (within the designated area) to be advertised on the internet. The amending order made an alteration as to compliance within the 21 day period for the display of notices, where notices are removed, obscured or defaced.