A pet project of the last government - the IPC was quickly consigned to the waste bin when the Coalition Government took office. It was intended to be a body which would expedite major schemes such as power stations & major public works in the national interest.In it's short, expensive life the IPC has only managed to resolve one planning application - it is perhaps unfortunate for the people of Bedfordshire that this happens to be a 600,000 ton energy from waste facility in an old brick pit just off the M1 at Stewartby near Cranfield in mid Beds.The IPC is a perfect example of a government that thinks top down imposed decisions are best - a diametrically opposed position adopted by the current government which believes that local decisions are best made locally.It is clear that local decisions are probably more complicated, but it can not be right to have such major decisions made by an independent body which clearly ignored local opposition & imposed a scheme which is to say the least controversial.I suspect it is fortunate for the people of Buckinghamshire that the HS2 scheme will not be decided by the IPC.
