Government proposals announced today to reform the planning system will make it more difficult for communities and the wider public to have their say.
David Whiting, Chief Executive of the Environmental Law Foundation, commented: "The government's proposed reforms mean that local people will be less able to make their voice heard in major planning decisions that have huge impacts on their neighbourhood and quality of life, leaving them with little option but to ask the courts to intervene.
"It is one thing to try to speed up the planning process. It is another to take away a whole layer of vital public scrutiny essential in a democratic society. Such a measure will not only undermine the government's stated commitment to sustainable development, but will inevitably lead to greater involvement by the courts, and therefore, ultimately, prove to be a false economy.
"From the Environmental Law Foundation's 15 years' experience of helping local people across the UK participate more effectively in environmental decision-making, we believe that the government's proposals are a significant cause for concern. "
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