CaRT wants NT protection
Some three months after the bill was introduced to the House of Commons it has written to Defra and Department for Communities and Local Government asking that the bill be amended to give planning protection similar to that enjoyed by the National Trust.
Statutory Undertakers
Statutory Undertakers are various organisations with legal rights to carry out certain development and other works. Typically, they are utilities and telecoms companies or nationalised concerns such as Network Rail.
CaRT, is a Statutory Undertaker as it carries out the 'Statutory Undertaker' duties of its predecessor, British Waterways.
Growth & Infrastructure Bill
The Growth and Infrastructure Bill, seeks among other things, to facilitate development by removing unnecessary restraints on growth. As such, government is making the compulsory purchase of land owned by 'Statutory Undertakers' easier.
Three months after the Bill was introduced, CaRT is suddenly arguing that it is a special case and deserves protection similar to the National Trust rather than other Statutory Undertakers. With the Bill having passed through its Commons stages and now with the Lords, it has written to Baroness Hanham, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at Department for Communities and Local Government and Lord de Mauley who holds a similar position with Defra.
It has also written to Commons ministers, Eric Pickles, Secretary of State Department for Communities and Local Government and Richard Benyon, Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Natural Environment, Water and Rural Affairs (better known as the waterways minister).
Lobbying not required
It is quite clear that CaRT is not asking the public to lobby on its behalf and some speculation exists as to why this might be.
No doubt, we will see an Inland Waterways Association press release in a day or two telling us if we are required to do so!