Proposals for new planning commission divide Peers

The Government continued to argue strongly for its proposed new regime for key infrastructure projects like motorways, airports and power stations when the committee stage of the Planning Bill resumed in the Lords on Monday following the return of Parliament after its summer recess.

For the Government Baroness Andrews stressed that "establishing an independent infrastructure planning commission is vital. It is essential to improving speed, efficiency and transparency; it is essential to meeting the scale and the urgency of the task that we face; it is essential to ensuring open, high-quality decisions; and is essential to the transparency of the system".

The Government's stance on the commission, underpinned by Parliamentary scrutiny of a series of National Policy Statements was backed by some peers, including former Conservative environment secretary Lord Jenkins of Roding.

However, there was little sign that either of the two main opposition parties – Conservative and Liberal Democrat - has given way on their objections to the IPC as an unaccountable quango. Both parties want the the IPC to advise minister rather than determine projects, a line supported strongly by Baroness Young of Old Stone, formerly the chief executive of the Environment Agency.

Lord Dixon-Smith for the Conservatives argued: "Development in whatever form is rarely site-specific. Most developments can be established on a variety of sites. Up until now that decision has rightly been political. It is a political decision, whether it is taken by local politicians sitting on local planning authorities, or by the Secretary of State on call-in if the application is of sufficient national significance, is of sufficient exception to existing planning policy, or is an appeal.
 
"The very fact that the final decision is taken by an elected politician gives strength and integrity to the existing planning process. However, the Bill removes that and in doing so diminishes the strength and integrity of the existing system".

The Government argues the new system will include a clear role for Government, more Parliamentary scrutiny and more chances for the public to have its say. Ministers will have to set out National Policy Statements for each major infrastructure requirement and account for them through public consultation and Parliamentary scrutiny.

This framework then allows final decisions on individual applications to logically be taken by the IPC, which will follow the principles and criteria set out in the policy statements. The Commission will be independent and free to reject any application which it considers fails to meet the conditions set out in the NPS or would have adverse local impacts that outweigh its benefits.

Read the Planning Bill debate record in Lords Hansard (6 October 2008, column 14).

Roger Milne

9 October 2008