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Government to publish guidance to open up planning appeal hearings


New guidance to formally open up planning appeal hearings to be filmed, tweeted and reported will be published as part of the Government's review of planning guidance, Local Government Minister Eric Pickles has announced.

Pickles said in a statement that the guidance would be aimed at making clear the rights for members of the press and public, including local bloggers and "hyperlocal" journalists, to report, film and tweet planning appeal hearings.

The procedural guidance will include a section to "explicitly" open up planning appeals. The section will read: "Hearings and inquiries are open to journalists and the wider public, as well as interested people. Provided that it does not disrupt proceedings, anyone will be allowed to report, record and film proceedings including the use of digital and social media. Inspectors will advise people present at the start of the event that the proceedings may be recorded and/or filmed, and that anyone using social media during or after the end of the proceedings should do so responsibly."

Pickles said it was hoped that the measure would open up a "previously mysterious and rarely seen" side of the planning process.

"Watching television programmes like Grand Designs, viewers have been baffled as cameras are stopped from filming meetings of the planning committee," Pickles said. "Councillors shouldn’t be ashamed or be trying to hide the work they do. I am opening up the planning appeals that my department oversees, so the public can see how the planning system works in practice. Councils should match this by opening up their planning meetings and other committees."

"An independent local press and robust public scrutiny is essential for a healthy local democracy: without the sunlight of transparency, the flowering of localism will whither. Heavy-handed councils who call the police to suppress freedom of speech are abusing state powers," he added.

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