Essential road building projects that ease congestion could have more chance of coming to fruition after the government published proposals for ref-orming the planning system. The Planning Bill includes the creation of a national commission that will decide on major developments. It also incorporates 'national policy statements', which set out the country's strategic needs.
It is hoped the Bill will prev-ent road and rail infrastructure plans of national or regional strategic importance - such as the Heysham M6 Link Northern Route - from being bogged down by delays, or destroyed by NIMBYists. An inquiry into the M6 lorry route took place during the summer and a decision should be made some time next year. The Bill should speed up such decision-making processes and reduce costs considerably.
Freight Transport Association head of global supply chain policy Christopher Snelling says: "[The Bill] will set it into more of a national context. The current inefficient and cumbersome 
planning system is a major reason why, for example, Britain lacks the major port capacity it requires. It is about making the system quicker and less expensive."
The Bill's first reading in Parliament coincides with a report published by the RAC Foundation, which claims there is a strong economic need for more strategic road building at an annual rate of around 600 lane kilometres, irrespective of whether road pricing is introduced.
RAC Foundation director Edmund King adds: "With or without road improvements, road pricing is not an excuse not to improve the road network. Roads linking the ports and major conurbations are essential and will be more essential in the future." Hauliers travelling through Scotland have been warned to expect "horrendous disruption" on the Forth Road Bridge during 2009 due to repair work.