Commentary Part 6: Planning Chapter 1: Plans and Strategies Section 110: Duty to co-operate in relation to planning of sustainable development
242.Section 110 provides for a duty on local planning authorities, county councils and other bodies with statutory functions to co-operate with each other. Those other bodies will be defined in regulations. Co-operation includes constructive and active engagement as part of an ongoing process to maximise effective working on the preparation of development plan documents, other local development documents and marine plans in relation to strategic matters including sustainable development that would have significant wider impacts.
243.Those that are subject to the requirements of the duty will be expected to consider whether to consult on and prepare, and enter into and publish, agreements on joint planning approaches. Local planning authorities will also be expected to consider whether to prepare joint local development documents.
244.Local authorities, county councils and prescribed bodies that are subject to the requirements of the duty to co-operate will also be required to have regard to the activities of other bodies, also to be prescribed in regulations.
245.At independent examination of development plan documents local authorities will have to provide evidence that they have complied with the duty if their plans are not to be rejected by the examiner.
246.This section also makes provision that local authorities and other public bodies must have regard to guidance issued by the Secretary of State about how they should comply with this duty.