Town and Country Planning (Fees for Applications and Deemed Applications) (Amendment) (England) Regulations 2010

My Lords, the Liberal Democrats welcome flexibility for local authorities given the difficult economic environment and the need to lay the groundwork for future recovery. Flexibility will be needed as the recovery proceeds at different speeds in different areas. A working planning system can aid this. On the £250,000 maximum limit which the regulations will revise back to £1,690, I understand that this was a mistake made under the 2008 regulations, the intention of which was to increase the cap by 25 per cent. Is it a change in policy or was it indeed a mistake that we now have to rectify? From what the Minister said, we can be clear that it was a mistake. As the noble Lord speaking for the Official Opposition said, councils have suffered a loss in fee income during the downturn, with fewer applications made. I repeat his question: what measures have the Government taken to help local authorities with this? The concern is that if the fee income falls substantially as a result of any amendments, there might be additional costs for local authorities. Further, what assessment have the Government made of the potential impact of these regulations on the prospects for development sites which are currently empty? Broadly, though, we are happy and supportive of these regulations.