Local people already concerned at how flawed the planning process is - especially as new housing schemes in Lancaster come under investigation and with plans in the works for a third nuclear power station at Heysham may be alarmed to hear that, in future, there will be little that can be done to stop some of them.
The easier loss of public rights of way is just a small part of the Infrastructure Bill which would also see the inclusion of changed trespassing laws which, subject to a 12 week consultation, would give fracking companies the right to drill horizontally for shale gas under private land, and companies working on the exploration of resources for new geothermal energy projects.
This week (Wednesday 18th June) sees the second reading of the Bill, which proposes that, in future, the Secretary of State will be able to hand over any amount of public land to the arms-length, non-departmental Government body, the Homes & Communities Agency. The HCA can then dispose of it to developers. There will be no need to go through local authority planning processes - the Secretary of State can give the green light without any local politicians or planners' involvement, just by consulting a panel of two people.
As for public rights of way, the proposed law allows any of them to be extinguished. There is no need for permission for easements (i.e. roads, powerlines, railways. drilling, tunnels, etc). And any existing laws that protects land and prevents it being built on, appear to be overriden by one simple enabling clause).
Petition
https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/ ... ublic-land
Why is this important?
The Bill proposes that the Secretary of State can hand over any amount of public land to the arms-length, non-departmental Government body, the Homes & Communities Agency. The HCA can then dispose of it to developers. There will be no need to go through local authority planning processes - the Sec of State can give the green light without any local politicians or planners' involvement, just by consulting a panel of two people.
As for public rights of way, the proposed law allows any of them to be extinguished. There is no need for permission for easements (ie roads, powerlines, railways. drilling, tunnels, etc). And any existing laws that protects land and prevents it being built on, appear to be overriden by one simple enabling clause (see
http://www.publications.parliament.uk/p ... 7.htm#sch3
).
