Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution

I am writing in response to John Steel's letter to Andrew Foster inviting comments on the Royal Commission's proposals for the above study. We are grateful for the opportunity to contribute to the scoping of the study, which is timely and covers issues of considerable importance to local and national government. We hope that the following points will be useful to you.

With regard to the broad topics to be covered, we note that there is no explicit reference to the relationship between balanced communities and sustainable development. Increasingly local housing and planning authorities are recognising the value that mixed tenure housing developments play in tackling social and economic exclusion. Your study might therefore, examine some of the risks planning authorities run in failing to enable the creation of balanced communities. In this context you may wish to canvass the views of the Chartered Institute of Housing and the National Housing Federation.

You mention that your consultants are conducting a literature review. They may be interested in two relevant Audit Commission reports - 'Building in Quality' which looked at development control procedures, and 'It's a Small World', a study of environmental stewardship. Copies of these reports are available from our publications department. Our colleagues in District Audit are also currently carrying out local studies of probity in planning. Should you wish for further information on the coverage or findings of the local studies, please contact Neil Bellamy.

If you feel that the Audit Commission can be of any assistance in the second phase of your study, please contact me on the above number.

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