The Secretary of State for Wales, David Jones MP, has urged the Welsh Government to reform the planning system in his keynote speech to the Policy Forum for Wales.
The Rt. Hon Mr Jones said: ‘As we call on investors to be more collaborative in providing the infrastructure Wales needs, it is also essential that they should be able to invest quickly and with confidence. There is absolutely nothing more crucial to efficient infrastructure development – or, for that matter, to economic growth – than a benign, flexible and practically-focused planning regime. Because developers need be assured that Wales is a welcoming place in which they can invest with confidence.’
‘In England, planning reforms are underpinning our long-term economic plan by unblocking the system; and we are determined to do all we can to make sure that it improves continuously. We have, for example, radically simplified planning guidance. What used to consist of thousands of pages of often impenetrable jargon and otiose waffle has now been cut to around 50 pages of clearly written, plain English. Guidance that, remarkably, actually guides, rather than impedes.’
‘Our reformed system means we can deliver the infrastructure that people want and need, by working with, not against, investors. The hard fact is that, as a consequence of Eric Pickles’s reforms, the planning system across the border in England is now substantially more streamlined and accessible than that in Wales.’
‘That is not good for Wales, and will only work to its disadvantage. So, I urge the Welsh Government to look at what is happening in England and take action in their forthcoming Planning Bill, to implement similar, effective reforms to the planning system to enable the infrastructure Wales needs, to get going.’
