Fail to plan? Plan to fail...

Most people probably don’t think a lot about planning regulations – unless you are applying for an extension and get turned down by the council. But planning decisions for major projects affect all aspects of our lives. New roads, new ports, and new towns even, all need to gain planning permission before they can be built. Often, the planning and building process will take longer than a parliamentary term (4/5 years) so there has to be a way for planning decisions to be taken in the long term national interest- not merely the short term interest of whoever is in power.


This is why Labour have established the Infrastructure Planning Commission (IPC)- a body that will take these decisions out of the hands of politicians and enable large scale projects to progress. However, both the Tories and the Lib Dems say they will abolish the IPC. Why? Because they believe decisions on planning should be made at a more local level.

The Tories want to take this ‘local level’ idea even further by suggesting it will be town to ‘neighbourhoods’ to make planning decisions. Neighbourhoods - people like you and me – would have the final say on whether a project should go ahead. There are obvious plus’s to this idea as it is more democratic and allows for local feelings to be properly considered. However, in the case of major projects, allowing everyone to have their say will lead to inevitable delays and setbacks- to the detriment of the economy and an area or country as a whole. The Lib Dems plan is similar- although they will allow decision making to take place at a slightly higher level – probably town/regional.

So how do you see this? Should local people be in charge of planning? Or should the IPC ensure that the national interest is considered? Clear choice between the parties here- which side to you come down on?



Poli-Chick xx