IPC chairman recommends extra resources for councils faced with nationally significant projects

The chairman of the Infrastructure Planning Commission (IPC), Sir Michael Pitt, has told MPs that planning authorities dealing with nationally significant projects will need additional resources to pay for the technical expertise to consider proposals to be determined by the IPC under the new planning regime.

Speaking to the Commons Energy and Climate Change Committee, Pitt said that he was concerned at the use of planning performance agreements – in which applicants contribute towards the planners' costs of researching the application - as a way of resourcing cash-strapped local authorities. He cited the controversy over one such agreement negotiated between EDF Energy and the three Somerset councils affected by the company’s plans for a nuclear power station plant at Hinkley Point, which campaigners complained represented a conflict of interest for the planning authorities involved.

Pitt also said that the while the National Policy Statements so far issued by the government were “fit for purpose”, the IPC wanted to see a clearer distinction between government policy and  guidance.

Meanwhile, the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) has this week published guidance on how the IPC should go about its role as an Examining Authority for development proposals that it receives from developers. The guidance covers the steps that the Commission should take when appointing panels or delegating applications to single commissioners, how applications should be evaluated, what written submissions should be considered and how hearings should be conducted.

At the same time, the DCLG published guidance on the procedures that the IPC should use when authorising compulsory purchase orders for schemes that it has approved and on the level of fees it should charge. The DCLG has also published the long-awaited results of its consultation into how the Infrastructure Planning Commission (IPC) should operate.

Despite the delays in producing the national policy statements and guidance, the IPC still says that it will accept applications from March 1st.. However, last week, the Times newspaper claimed that the delay in publishing legal guidelines for the IPC may mean that the commission proves to be a white elephant if it does not commence work before the general election as the Conservative Party has indicated that it will abolish the IPC if it is elected later this year.