Planning and energy

Written by Vincent Cable MP and published in Informer column on Mon 4th Jun 2007

Last week the government made two announcements - on planning and on energy - which could change the face of Britain radically in the long term.

I meet many residents who are frustrated by the planning process. Mostly they object to some development nearby - new homes or a telecoms mast - which affects their amenity. They find that they are up against a powerful developer with deep pockets. They then find that they cannot appeal an adverse decision by the council while the developer can. In addition there are people who are unable to extend their homes to accommodate a growing family but others who object to next door's extension which blocks their light. Planning is a delicate, difficult balancing act between people who want to expand and develop their homes and businesses and others who want things to stay as they are. It is intensely political but not party political. Generally the system leans to developers but not always especially in conservation areas and on greenbelt land.

Now the government wants changes. It says it wants to make small property improvements easier to secure while still leaving neighbours a right to object (doesn't sound very different to me!). It hints at new rules making it easier for out of town shopping centres to expand (but denies that is the intention). Much more important though is the proposal to take big decisions - over major airports, power stations, motorways etc - out of the hands of elected councils (and ministers) and into a powerful quango. The obvious intention is to push those projects through quickly, against local objections.

Whatever we may think about airports, nuclear power and the rest, I believe we should be deeply worried about more centralisation of decisions and moving yet more important decisions into quango land. This proposal, if it becomes law, will heighten peoples' sense of powerlessness and disillusion with the democratic system.