BBC Democracy Live - Government suffers defeat over back garden plans 26 March 2013 Last updated at 19:42 Help Peers have inflicted a defeat on the coalition over its proposals to double the size of buildings that can be constructed in back gardens without planning permission. Conservative Lord True introduced an amendment to allow local authorities to opt in or out of the relaxation of planning rules for developments within the "curtilage" or back garden of a house, during third reading of the Growth and Infrastructure Bill on 26 March 2013. Giving the final say to the secretary of state would "sweep aside newly entrenched localism and use Whitehall diktat to double the amount of back gardens that could be built over without planning permission and, yes, to take away the right of immediate neighbours to have a say," Lord True told the House. He had support from Lib Dem Lord Tope, who claimed: "The only rights that are being extended here are the rights of homeowners - the right to do as they wish." Earl Lytton, a crossbencher and chartered surveyor, expressed his view that "the desire to reduce regulation shouldn't equate with no oversight whatsoever and that's the risk" and that "back-garden space is an important mutual asset." The amendment also received Labour's backing, with shadow communities and local government spokesman Lord McKenzie of Luton declaring: "I'd rather have local authorities involved in local decisions than the secretary of state." But Communities and Local Government Minister Baroness Hanham insisted that enabling planning decisions on larger back-garden developments to be made centrally "will make it easier for thousands of families to make improvements to their homes." It was also undesirable, Lady Hanham pointed out, that the amendment would enable local authorities "to take unilateral decisions as to whether they take up the national provisions." Lord True said he could not accept her arguments and that he felt "profound sadness" at forcing the matter to a division. His amendment was approved by 217 votes to 211. The bill later passed at third reading and will now go back to the Commons for approval of changes made in the Lords.