Shadow planning minister Bob Neill has confirmed the Conservatives would scrap the pre-determination rule that bars politicians who have spoken out on planning applications from sitting on related committees.

Speaking at the 2009 RTPI conference on Friday, shadow planning minister Bob Neill said: "We would scrap the pre-determination rule that at the moment means that if a member of a planning authority makes a comment on an application then they are then debarred from taking part in it. Most people outside our professional world think that is just potty.

He added: "There’s a local authority ward that I know quite well where the biggest issue for folk is what’s going to happen to a particular bit of green space that happens to be a golf course. 

"So when people stand for the election to the district council that’s what people want to know and the one thing the candidates aren’t allowed to say is what they’d do with it because they wouldn’t be able to serve on the committee that takes the decision. Now that’s a nonsense and that actually encourages politicians to duck responsibility so we’ll remove that inhibition."

Neill also said a future Conservative government would make pre-application discussions a "weighty material consideration" in planning matters. "I’ve been hugely impressed by the way very many of the best and most progressive local authorities actually encourage pre-application discussion far more than when I was a member of a planning authority many years ago but its not widespread enough. 

"A future Conservative government would roll out that good practice right across the country we will put a very firm incentive on pre-application discussions by making that a weighty material consideration in all consideration of appeals and other matters. It would be a positive incentive for planners and officers and members of local authorities to engage at an early stage with the community."

Neill was speaking in favour of a motion calling for politicians to take the lead role in the planning process.  The motion was defeated.