SIR – The Government has recently made changes to its plans to let people build home extensions without getting planning permission – but there are still some details that I think need ironing out.

Initially, the proposals called for anyone to be able to make single-storey extensions of up to eight metres for detached houses and six metres for other houses – without the need for planning approval.

But there were fears about unsightly developments springing up without local communities having the chance to comment.

Now the Government says it wants to ensure neighbours are consulted on proposed extensions before they go ahead, and if there are any objections the local authority will step in to adjudicate. This is certainly a step in the right direction.

But we still need to know whether there will be a time limit on the consultation period, what the process will be for appeals, what happens if permission is turned down, and how this will affect any retrospective applications.

Also – what exactly will the involvement of local ward councillors be in all this?

We need to make sure the system works well for local communities, and that some of the positive progress on neighbourhood planning isn’t undermined by these changes.

Councillor Paul Wadsworth, Guiseley and Rawdon ward