Enviromental groups have rejected Planning Minister Lord Falconer’s claims that the planning system would be “more democratic” if parliament were to decide on major infrastructure projects.
Falconer made the claim at a meeting held at the Museum of London yesterday and organised by the Commission for the Protection of the Rural Environment (CPRE) to discuss proposals to be detailed in next month’s Planning Green Paper. The meeting was attended by representatives of environmental groups, including Friends of the Earth, the Environment Trust, Planning Aid for London, Bankside Residents Forum and parish council representatives.
Falconer said: “Our proposals will make the current system more – not less – democratic. The proposed changes will mean parliament, for the first time, will have the chance to thoroughly scrutinise any plans before a decision is made.”
But a spokesperson for CPRE said: “A parliamentary process would remove the rights of local people to debate a development in their area. One MP representing thousands of constituents won’t be the same as having each constituent having their say. I don’t see how the Government’s position has changed since we opposed it in July.”
The move was also opposed by Dr Hugh Ellis, planning campaigner for Friends of the Earth. Ellis said: “This will ride rough-shod over local democracy. Any short public inquiry would be forced to restrict itself to local matters and details of mitigation. In effect the public would have no rights to challenge the principle of the development.”
He added that Friends of the Earth and other pressure groups would continue to push for the Government “to uphold the principles of free and open consideration of major developments on a case-by-case basis”.
The Government’s proposals will leave parliament to decide whether major infrastructure projects should go ahead in principle, with the detail hammered out in a short public inquiry. The measures are intended to prevent re-runs of the fiasco that has surrounded plans for Heathrow Terminal 5 inquiry, which are expected to get the go-ahead next week following an eight-year battle.
EGi News 14/11/01
