SOME of the most swingeing changes ever made to the English planning system are due to be debated in Parliament today (Wednesday, June 25) and a group of leading conservation bodies fear that they will sweep away local decision-making when big development projects are in the pipeline.

The Government is expected to push through the House its plans to create a new quango, the Infrastructure Planning Commission, aimed at speeding up the process of granting planning permission for large-scale developments like airports, motorways or power stations.

The unelected commission would have the power to over-rule local planning decisions taken by elected councillors – and protestors fear that it would push through highly unpopular projects despite local opposition.

The protestors have formed a coalition which brings together a broad cross-section of organisations, including the Campaign to Protect Rural England, the National Trust, Friends of the Earth, RSPB and Civic Trust, which between them have the support of more than five million people.

A statement issued to day complains: “The coalition has come together to express its serious concerns that the Government’s Planning Bill will be damaging for the environment and will reduce the involvement of ordinary people and communities in the decision-making process on major projects.”

Paul Miner, CPRE’s Senior Planning Campaigner, comments: “This is crunch time for planning in this country. Airport expansion and new power stations are huge matters of public concern. If Ministers are serious about moving towards a greener future and more prudent use of resources, they should take the hard decisions that this involves.

“MPs must stand up and be counted, and use their votes to make sure that we continue to have democratic accountability in our biggest planning decisions.”

• For more information on the coalition, visit www.planningdisaster.co.uk