Business chiefs back planning commission

The call from the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) came as a survey found that 62 per cent of businesses believed major planning decisions would be made more quickly and effectively by the Infrastructure Planning Commission than by Ministers.

And 91 per cent of firms said that major transport, energy and digital communications schemes took too long to materialise because of the long drawn out planning process.

The IPC was set up by the Government to streamline the planning process and started work on March 1 with the goal of reaching decisions on major projects within a year, rather than the current average of about 100 weeks.

Both Tories and Liberal Democrats have promised to scrap the Commission if they win the General Election expected on May 6.

But the BCC yesterday said it strongly supported the principle behind the IPC, arguing that planning for the country's biggest vital infrastructure schemes should be subject to "a stable, independent regime, rather than the whims of both local and national politicians".

BCC director general David Frost said: "A country's infrastructure is crucial to the success of its businesses. In the current environment of economic uncertainty and public spending constraints, our energy, digital, and transport networks must be up to the job if business is to deliver growth and create employment.

"For decades successive Governments have failed to adequately address business concerns on the state of the UK's infrastructure. This has direct consequences on our ability to attract inward investment and to growing the businesses that will deliver wealth and jobs for Britain."

The survey of more than 3,300 businesses across the country found that 80 per cent said they had been affected by a lack of capacity in the UK's transport network.

Almost all said that the Government's commitment to universal broadband at a speed of two Mbps was not fast enough.