Who is responsible for Planning in Devon?
The Secretary of State for the Environment has central responsibility in England and Wales over all matters relating to Town and Country Planning ‘with the duty of securing consistency and continuity in the framing and execution of a national (and european) policy with respect to the use and development of land’. Planning Policy Guidance Notes (PPGs), Mineral Planning Guidance Notes (MPGs), and Regional Planning Guidance Notes (RPGs) set out the Government’s policies on different aspects of planning which must be taken into account by local planning authorities in preparing their local plans. The Department of the Environment has its Government Office for the South West based in Plymouth and Bristol and its planning inspectorate headquarters in Bristol. The term Local Planning Authority covers County Council, Unitary Authorities, National Park Authorities and District Councils.
