Member

Secondly, there is the emerging land use framework for England. The Minister referred to the work being done for that. It was due to be published last year. Then we were told that it was due to be published early this year. I am hoping—touch wood—that it is imminent. It gives us an opportunity today to say that it is not only much anticipated but potentially very useful. To understand how it might be useful, I looked at the three Scottish land use strategies, which relate directly to the regional spatial strategies in Scotland. In their scale, they would be very similar to the spatial development strategies that would emerge from the large strategic authorities intended to be created by this Act. The land use framework for England should, like the Environmental Improvement Plan, necessarily be a document that spatial development strategies must look to. We have this opportunity to insert that requirement back into the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act. I beg to move.