The Chief Executive of the Infrastructure Planning Commission was announced today as John Saunders.
Mr Saunders was awarded an OBE in 1998 for services to British Businesses and is an experienced CEO. He will ensure that the IPC effectively carries out its functions as set out in the Planning Act 2008. Alongside the Chairman, Sir Michael Pitt, commissioners and deputy chairs, he will ensure that the IPC delivers on its objectives and makes decisions on nationally significant infrastructure projects.
Under the IPC, eight former planning systems are being replaced by a single process, cutting the time taken to make decisions from up to seven years to under a year and saving the country up to £300m a year. There will be better opportunities for opinions to be heard at every stage and the IPC will insist on the highest standard of applications from promoters, with evidence that communities have been consulted effectively about proposed projects.
After a 20 year career in Corporate Banking, John moved to the public sector in various Chief Executive, Chair and Board Member roles. Most recently John has held Chief Executive roles during the start-up phase at the Security Industry Authority and at CIPFA.
