Vince Cable

The government has produced a White Paper which could lead to big changes in the planning system.

Among the many changes envisaged are, first, procedures to make it easier to proceed with house extensions and, second, to set up a new quango - a planning commission - to decide on big national infrastructure projects like the expansion of Heathrow and new nuclear power stations.

Vincent Cable said that: "few people object to making the planning system simpler, quicker and easier to access without recourse to expensive legal advice. But, what the government is really after is a way of short circuiting the planning process, taking decisions on big projects out of the hands of democratically elected councils and ministers. If this results in an acceleration of Heathrow development, residents could pay a heavy long-term price".