Decision on planning ads in papers 'imminent'

The Newspaper Society believes the crucial decision by the Government on the outcome of its consultation on publicity for planning applications, which recommended removing the mandatory requirement for local authorities to publish statutory notices in newspapers, will be announced within a week.
Giving evidence to the Culture, Media and Sport Committee last week, Minister for the Creative Industries Siôn Simon said the Department for Communities and Local Government would make an announcement “fairly imminently”.
The Newspaper Society has raised concerns with government ministers on numerous occasions after the consultation paper, based on the recommendations of the Killian Pretty Review (a wide-ranging review of the planning application process), was published in November last year.
It included a recommendation to withdraw the mandatory requirement for local authorities to place statutory notices in newspapers which the NS said would have the effect of “undermining the public’s right to know”.
At the select committee last week, Simon said: “The DCLG are just about to say what they are going to do about that, I think, fairly imminently. Let us see what that says. Newspaper people are hopeful that they might get some succour from that.”
Story via Newspaper Society