Planning shake-up 'ignored local sentiment'

The shake-up to planning laws could spell disaster for local community groups who disapprove of the construction of large buildings in their area.

New proposals, soon to be announced by communities secretary Ruth Kelly, would mean that final decisions on large building projects will be taken by independent commissions rather than by ministers.

This means that protests from local groups are less likely to be heeded because blame taken for approving such buildings would fall on commissions rather than on individual politicians.

The Local Government Association (LGA) says that these independent commissions must be limited to making decisions only about projects which are of national importance.

"Some major projects such as airports or motorways are of great national importance and councils accept that these developments have repercussions which are felt far beyond local authority boundaries," Sandy Bruce-Lockart, from the LGA, told the Guardian.

"But they will also have a huge impact on local areas and the views of local people must not be ignored."


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