‘The FT reflects on changes to the Growth and Infrastructure Bill which will allow developers who want to build large offices, warehouses and factories to sidestep local authority planning departments and appeal directly to the Planning Inspectorate.
Campaigners have condemned the move as the latest blow to the coalition’s “localism” agenda. The Local Government Association said the changes were unlikely to achieve their aim of speeding up the process of planning, while the reforms could also lead to “unsuitable development” that local people did not want.
The Communities Department in response said that “quicker and better” planning decisions were needed to create jobs.’
Source: Financial Times