90% of people want a say on planning

17 July 2008

A new survey by Friends of the Earth shows that 9 out of 10 people want to have a say in planning decisions affecting their local area.

New Bill, No rights

But MPs have just passed a new Planning Bill that will remove people's right to have a say about decisions on major new projects like:

• Power stations

• Airports

• Roads

Climate change

94% of people think climate change should be considered when considering the impact of big projects

Despite this strength of public feeling, MPs also voted to leave out any reference to climate change in the Bill.

Local decision making

Almost two thirds of the public said they want planning decisions on major projects to be taken by local councils, not Government.

The new Bill gives this power to an unelected and unaccountable body called the Infrastructure Planning Committee.

Friends of the Earth will continue to campaign for amendments to the Planning Bill as it passes through the House of Lords and back to Parliament in the Autumn.