One of Britain’s leading unions has sounded the alarm over terminology used in new Planning and Infrastructure Bill.
Published on Tuesday, proposals represent the biggest changes to planning laws in more than half a century.
The Government’s key measures include overhauling planning committee processes to become more streamlined, introducing a Nature Restoration Fund to allow for multiple parties to make Biodiversity Net Gain contributions to a single large scale project, and creating Development Corporations to deliver new towns, part of the plan for 1.5million home being built in the next five years.
Other steps include raising the bar for so-called ‘blockers’ to obstruct National Significant Infrastructure Projects such as roads, railways and windfarms. Compulsory Purchase rights will also be reformed to remove obstacles.
Now Prospect, which represents 157,000 people in sectors such as science, education, management and culture, has warned describing regulators as ‘blockers’ is a ‘mistake’.
‘Britain’s infrastructure needs an upgrade, and reform of the planning system is urgently needed to build and connect the clean energy that will power Britain in the future,’ said Sue Ferns, Senior Deputy General Secretary of Prospect. ‘But it would be a mistake to see environmental and other regulators as ‘blockers’ rather than essential partners in delivering this mission.
‘Sustainable economic growth should be founded on a regulatory system in which expert staff are deeply involved at all stages, but this requires better resourcing of government agencies that have been hammered by deep and damaging cuts for over a decade,’ she added.
More on transport, infrastructure and planning: