This will be an important feature of most land-use planning systems and provides interested parties with the opportunity to influence the outcome of planning decisions. Part 5 of the PA 2008 has fundamentally reformed the way in which the UK approaches consultation and imposes a substantial burden on applicants to consult with affected communities and the local authorities. The onus is on applicants to be satisfied that they have dis­charged their consultation obligations at the pre-application stage. This is a measure which was introduced to improve the efficiency of the planning system, and it is hoped that front-loading the consultation exercise will enable problems, including local environmental impacts, to be identified at an earlier stage in the process. Applicants are required to take account of the responses to consultation when deciding whether to proceed with a given project, and the IPC/MPIU will eventually be provided with a copy of a consultation report detailing what has been done to consult, any rel­evant responses and how they have been accounted for. Section 55(4) of the PA 2008 obliges the IPC to have regard to the report when making their decisions.