New infrastructure planning regime for UK

Wednesday, 30 June 2010 The UK's new Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition government has confirmed plans to scrap the Infrastructure Planning Commission (IPC), an independent body established by the previous Labour government to make decisions on applications for nationally significant infrastructure projects with the intention of speeding the planning process. The move is in line with the coalition agreement announced in May. In a statement, the government said that the IPC will be replaced with a "new rapid and accountable system where ministers, not unelected commissioners, will take the decisions on new infrastructure projects critical to the country's future economic growth." It added, "A Major Infrastructure Planning Unit will be established in the Planning Inspectorate to continue fast-tracking major infrastructure projects like offshore wind farms and nuclear power stations. Ministers will take decisions on applications with the same statutory fast-track timeframe as the current regime." New primary legislation will be brought forward to close the IPC. The government added that all National Planning Statements - including one on nuclear energy - will now be subject to ratification by parliament, saying that "these critically important national documents must have the strongest possible democratic legitimacy."