ENGLAND’S largest conservation charity, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, has joined the attack on Government plans to set up an un-elected planning quango to take major planning decisions out of the hands of elected local councillors.

Planning is “too important to be left to planners alone” says the society and the new Infrastructure Planning Commission – IPC – will remove the accountability to local voters if their councillors make unpopular planning decisions.

But despite this and many other protests – and a threatened rebellion by back bench Labour MPs – the Government last night forced the Bill through Parliament with a majority of 43.

• This new quango could mean explosive changes to planning decisions in North Yorkshire, with highly unpopular developments being forced through. These potential threats will be discussed in full in our Week in the Country column tomorrow (Friday, June 27).