By Neil Merrick
15 July 2009
A new quango that is designed to speed up major planning decisions is likely to carry out its first public examinations next summer
The Infrastructure Planning Commission will consider applications from the energy and transport sectors from March, followed by waste water and hazardous waste in April 2011 and water supply the following year.
Assuming applications are submitted within the first few months, the IPC could be carrying out its first examinations at the same time as the next general election. The Conservatives have pledged to scrap the commission and replace it with streamlined public inquiries.
Announcing the IPC timetable on July 14, housing and planning minister John Healey promised that the creation of the quango would speed up major decisions from up to seven years at present to ‘under a year’.
It might also save £300m per year by approving green energy proposals sooner, he added.
‘The IPC is critical to delivering a fairer, faster planning system that will enable us to cut the time taken to make decisions,’ he said. ‘It will also give the public more opportunities for their opinions to be heard.’
From October, developers and other organisations will be issued with guidance that stresses the need to prepare applications to the highest standard and consult local communities.
The IPC’s decisions will be based on national planning statements or, if no statement is in place, the commission will make a recommendation to ministers.
15 July 2009
A new quango that is designed to speed up major planning decisions is likely to carry out its first public examinations next summer
The Infrastructure Planning Commission will consider applications from the energy and transport sectors from March, followed by waste water and hazardous waste in April 2011 and water supply the following year.
Assuming applications are submitted within the first few months, the IPC could be carrying out its first examinations at the same time as the next general election. The Conservatives have pledged to scrap the commission and replace it with streamlined public inquiries.
Announcing the IPC timetable on July 14, housing and planning minister John Healey promised that the creation of the quango would speed up major decisions from up to seven years at present to ‘under a year’.
It might also save £300m per year by approving green energy proposals sooner, he added.
‘The IPC is critical to delivering a fairer, faster planning system that will enable us to cut the time taken to make decisions,’ he said. ‘It will also give the public more opportunities for their opinions to be heard.’
From October, developers and other organisations will be issued with guidance that stresses the need to prepare applications to the highest standard and consult local communities.
The IPC’s decisions will be based on national planning statements or, if no statement is in place, the commission will make a recommendation to ministers.
