An organisation which represents staff in town planning jobs has welcomed the news that the powers of the Infrastructure Planning Commission (IPC) are to be transferred to a different body.
The government has announced that the IPC is being scrapped, but its responsibilities and functions will now rest with the Planning Inspectorate.
It is a decision which has been praised by the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI).
Matt Thomson, head of policy at the RTPI, said: "It is critical that there is a specialist body with the skills and expertise to consider proposals for essential major infrastructure projects to allow decisions to be made in the national interest."
He added that people's confidence in the system will be improved by the knowledge that the decisions on major infrastructure projects will be taken within a defined timeframe.
Earlier this month, the RTPI criticised the government for not paying enough attention to the important work of professionals in town planning jobs in its first Budget.
