The Infrastructure Planning Commission (IPC) was a

non-departmental public body In the United Kingdom, non-departmental public body (NDPB) is a classification applied by the Cabinet Office, Treasury, the Scottish Government, and the Northern Ireland Executive to public sector organisations that have a role in the process o ...

responsible for the examining and, in certain circumstances, the decision-making body for proposed

nationally significant infrastructure project In England and Wales, a nationally significant infrastructure project (NSIP) is a major infrastructure development that bypasses Planning permission in the United Kingdom, normal local planning requirements. These include proposals for power pla ...

s in

England and Wales England and Wales () is one of the Law of the United Kingdom#Legal jurisdictions, three legal jurisdictions of the United Kingdom. It covers the constituent countries England and Wales and was formed by the Laws in Wales Acts 1535 and 1542. Th ...

. Created in 2008, the IPC's function has been performed within the Planning Inspectorate since 1 April 2012.

History

The IPC was established by the Planning Act 2008 and began operating on 1 October 2009. The IPC provided advice and guidance about the application process for infrastructure projects until its power to receive, accept and examine applications for development consent came into force on 1 March 2010. It was abolished by the Coalition Government's

Localism Act 2011 The Localism Act 2011 (c. 20) is an Act of Parliament that changes the powers of local government in England. The aim of the act is to facilitate the devolution of decision-making powers from central government control to individuals and commun ...

which transferred its decision-making powers for all cases to the relevant Secretary of State. The act gained

royal assent Royal assent is the method by which a monarch formally approves an act of the legislature, either directly or through an official acting on the monarch's behalf. In some jurisdictions, royal assent is equivalent to promulgation, while in othe ...

on 15 November 2011 and from 1 April 2012, the acceptance and examination of applications for development consent is dealt with by a new Infrastructure Planning Unit within the Planning Inspectorate.

Function

The IPC examined accepted applications for development consent for proposed projects that meet certain thresholds, as set out in Part 3 of the 2008 Act. In England, its remit covered applications for proposed energy, transport, water, waste water and waste infrastructure projects. Its remit in Wales only covered proposed energy and harbour projects. The framework for decision-making over applications for development consent was set out in National Policy Statements (NPS). Following the designation of a NPS, the 2008 act provided jurisdiction for the IPC to decide over applications in a specific field. While an NPS is in draft form, the IPC acted as examining authority and provided a report of recommendation to the relevant Secretary of State who was to take the decision. The chairperson was Sir Michael Pitt and the chief executive officer John Saunders.

References

{{reflist 2009 establishments in the United Kingdom 2012 disestablishments in the United Kingdom Defunct non-departmental public bodies of the United Kingdom government Government agencies established in 2009 Government agencies disestablished in 2012 United Kingdom industrial planning policy Town and country planning in England Town and country planning in Wales Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

History

Function

See also

References