Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004

54 Duty to respond to consultation

(1) This section applies to a prescribed requirement to consult any person or body (the consultee) which exercises functions for the purposes of any enactment.

(2) A prescribed requirement to consult is a requirement—

(a) with which the appropriate authority or a local planning authority must comply before granting any permission, approval or consent under or by virtue of the planning Acts;

(b) which is prescribed for the purposes of this subsection.

(3) At any time before an application is made for any permission, approval or consent mentioned in subsection (2) any person may in relation to a proposed development consult the consultee on any matter in respect of which the appropriate authority is or the local planning authority are required to consult the consultee.

(4) The consultee must give a substantive response to any consultation mentioned in subsection (2) or by virtue of subsection (3) before the end of—

(a) the period prescribed for the purposes of this subsection, or

(b) such other period as is agreed in writing between the consultee and the appropriate authority or the local planning authority (as the case may be).

(5) The appropriate authority may also prescribe—

(a) the procedure to be followed for the purposes of this section;

(b) the information to be provided to the consultee for the purposes of the consultation;

(c) the requirements of a substantive response.

(6) Anything prescribed for the purposes of subsections (1) to (5) must be prescribed by development order.

(7) A development order may—

(a) require consultees to give the appropriate authority a report as to their compliance with subsection (4);

(b) prescribe the form and content of the report;

(c) prescribe the times at which the report is to be made.

(8) The appropriate authority is—

(a) the Secretary of State in relation to England;

(b) the National Assembly for Wales in relation to Wales.