Reform proposals set out by the government regarding the English and Welsh planning system for an Infrastructure Planning Commission to assess major infrastructure projects will be a significant step forward for the UK economy, says the Freight Transport Association (FTA).
“The problem we face at the moment is not that too many projects are being rejected, but that decisions either way take far too long and are too expensive,” said the FTA’s Christopher Snelling. “For example, the Southampton Container Terminal’s proposals to develop port capacity at Dibden Bay took four years and £45 million to get a rejection. If that decision had been reached in one year, we would now be three years closer to an alternative, more suitable, development that would meet the urgent need of the UK for more port capacity.”
Snelling went on to say that the government’s proposals should address this issue, and give developers a more transparent process against, which they can develop their proposals. He hoped that this would promote the urgently needed investment in Britain’s transport infrastructure.
The FTA rejected the claim that the environment will suffer under these proposals. Snelling said: “Environmental considerations should, and will, be an integral part of planning policy - but this debate right now is about the system, not the policy.
“The long-term effect of these changes will be to make the UK more internationally competitive and to improve the standard of living of the people of this country, without cost to the environment.”
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