My Lords, I support what the noble Baroness, Lady Taylor of Stevenage, said in advocating for Amendment 228. In doing so, I must join her by saying that I too must celebrate my return to the highly populated zone of LGA vice-presidents. There seems to have been a surge, and I have been carried forward in it.
The key point here is that we have to have a system where, when plans are submitted and developed, there is parallel investment in the infrastructure necessary to support the development that is proposed. The permitted development regime has provided a bypass to that process. With the arrival of the infrastructure levy, the risks of development being stranded without the supporting infrastructure have clearly risen a great deal.
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I should be very interested to hear the noble Baroness, Lady Scott, telling us something about how this proposed consultation will solve the problem; I have concerns that it will not. The reality is that permitted development was a step too far in its original concept. Some brakes have been applied and some sensible amendments made, but it still provides far too many opportunities for unworthy development in local communities, not supported by and embedded in those communities but in fact a blight on the areas in which they happen. I very much look forward to what the Minister has to say in response.
I heard what the noble Lord, Lord Lexden, said in so ably introducing the amendment of the noble Lord, Lord Northbrook. It is certainly a matter of interest to many of us how town centres and peripheral areas can and should be regenerated. Again, I welcome the words of the Minister in commenting on that amendment.