Campaigners push against planning bill

Last ditch attempts are being made to stop the government's planning bill turning into law.

The Commons will vote on the bill today, with over 60 Labour MPs still potentially prepared to vote against the government, assuming opposition parties vote against it as well.

Some Labour rebels were won over by a drip-feed of government concessions, with Clive Betts saying he would support the government after assurances of a two year review.

But campaign groups are thoroughly unconvinced.

"The current proposals mean undermining democracy in favour of an increasingly centralised and authoritarian government," the Green party's principle speaker Caroline Lucas told politics.co.uk - sister site to aboutproperty.co.uk.

"Consulting with local people on disruptive, polluting projects like airports or power stations is essential, and any attempt to 'streamline' these processes to save money, or to hand them over to appointed yes-men, is a scandalous affront to the rights of ordinary people in the UK," she continued.

The Countryside Alliance agrees with her, with the group seizing on the role of the newly created quango – the Infrastructure Planning Commission (IPC).

"The bill in its current form fails in three key areas," a spokesman told politics.co.uk.

"We believe that the proposed Infrastructure Planning Commission (IPC) lacks the necessary democratic accountability.

"In addition the removal of the existing rights of representation and appeal threaten to undermine confidence in the IPC and is an unjustified removal of existing rights," he continued.

"Finally the absence of an obligation for the IPC to take account of the principle of sustainable development is inconsistent with overall government policy."

In an article for politics.co.uk Hugh Ellis, Friends of the Earth's planning campaigner, voices similar concerns.

"The planning bill has reached a critical stage in its progress into law and so far the government has not been willing to compromise on its contents," he writes.

"But in trying to speed up our creaking planning system, the government appears to have thrown out the baby with the bathwater.

"The planning bill is undemocratic, marginalises community voices and does nothing to tackle climate change."

The Tories and Lib Dems are opposing the bill. If they and all other parties remain firm, only 34 Labour rebels are required to defeat the government.

A defeat would be treated as a further erosion of Gordon Brown's authority and a disastrous chapter in his already problematic administration.

However, the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (Rics) has spoken out in favour of the bill.

"Rics strongly believes that there is a clear need to improve and speed up decision making in major infrastructure projects in the UK," said Gillian Charlesworth, Rics director of external affairs.

"If the UK government fails to improve the planning of infrastructure there will be major risks to much needed investment. It is vital that processes are streamlined and not made more bureaucratic.

"As a result Rics supports the reform of the current system being discussed today in the Planning Bill, in particular the creation of the Independent Planning Commission (IPC), and the need for robust National Policy Statements on planning. These could deliver greater certainty for those making investment decisions."

Daniel Barnes