Nick Davies, the president of the Royal Town Planning Institute, has claimed that the Government’s proposed changes to the planning system will lessen public consultation.
Speaking in a debate at the Environment Council, a charity which aims to develop long-term solutions to environmental problems, Davies welcomed the Government’s plans, but said: “One price of increased speed is that there will be fewer opportunities for public consultation.
“The system must not let undue emphasis on the speed of decision-making allow business to ride roughshod over the wishes of local people.”
Davies added that: “A revolution is needed in our handling of applications for major infrastructure projects, such as Heathrow’s Terminal 5.”
“The system also needs far more resources and money,” Davies said, pointing out that speed is not the only issue facing the planning system.
EGi News 04/12/01
