Power Generation

UK Government axes planning quango in favour of fast-track system

The UK Coalition Government has confirmed its intention to axe the Infrastructure Planning Commission (IPC), which was established by the previous administration earlier this year to make decisions on major infrastructure projects.

Decentralisation Minister Greg Clark announced earlier this week that the ‘quango’ would be replaced with a fast track system in which Ministers will make decisions on infrastructure projects like wind farms or new nuclear power stations.

The Major Infrastructure Planning Unit will be set up under the auspices of the Planning Inspectorate, which sits within the Department of Communities and Local Government, with Ministers taking decisions on applications within the current statutory fast-track timeframe.

National Policy Statements (NPS), which the previous Government established to inform the IPC’s decisions, will be continued but will have to be ratified by Parliament.

“We believe we must have a fast track system for major projects – but it must be accountable,” says Clark. “The previous system lacked any democratic legitimacy by giving decision making power away to a distant quango.”

The decision has received a mixed welcome, with praise in some circles and criticism in others.

The Renewable Energy Association (REA) is backing the move, with chief executive Gaynor Hartnell saying:

“We welcome the commitment to approve major projects within the current fast-track timeframes.”

But she warns that the reforms will not help the vast majority of renewable energy projects that are smaller than 50 MW in capacity.

“We need rapid and consistent decision making for projects approved by local authorities under the Town & Country Planning regime,” she says.

The British Chambers of Commerce (BCC), however, has criticised the action, saying that the IPC provided certainty and clarity for decisions on major infrastructure projects.

“The Commission’s abolition puts politics back into the planning system at a time when an overwhelming majority of businesses say that they want key infrastructure schemes decided by experts, not politicians,” says Adam Marshall, director of policy at the BCC.

The IPC will continue to consider applications until legislation has been passed to close the organisation and new system has been established.

For further information:
www.communities.gov.uk/
http://infrastructure.independent.gov.uk/
www.r-e-a.net/
www.britishchambers.org.uk/

02 July 2010

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