MY recent comments on the possibility of a u-turn by Government to rescind the imposition of business rates on empty property produced, in the pre-budget report, a very half-hearted and totally unsatisfactory proposal that only assessments below £15.000 rateable value would be exempt for 12 months from April, 2009.

This will only take out of assessment minor properties and does little to help the small businesses which are now beginning to be seriously affected by our financial situation. I am sure that we will continue to hear much more of this campaign, backed as it is by virtually all of the commercial property industry.

The pre-budget report which so highlighted our grave financial situation has brought forward the completion of the dualling of the A46, for which planning commenced as long ago as 1927.

Part of the dualling of this road was completed from Leicester to Widmerpool before 1939. During the Second World War it was used for the storage of vehicles for the D-Day invasion until 1944 and it was then left unfinished as the construction of the M1 relieved pressure on this cross-country route. Let us hope that the financial crisis does not get worse and put its completion in jeopardy.

As the pre-budget report was making headlines, the Planning Reform Bill received Royal Assent. This will bring about major changes to deal with fundamental policies in the future in respect of renewable energy supply, public transport and clean water

Government accepted that the planning system was not fit for purpose following the debacle over the planning of Terminal Five at Heathrow and decided to introduce new measures to deal with the requirement for a fast-track planning approach to major infrastructure works.

The new system will create a single consent regime for infrastructure works in areas such as energy, aviation, transport, water and waste. This will be carried out by Government passing in the house National Policy Statements (NPSs) of which 11 are currently planned.

For example, aviation, ports, hazardous waste and energy creation of all kinds will be the subject of an NPS. Following the NPS a requirement for, say, a new runway will necessitate the developers to provide an environmental assessment document and seek consultation with local communities and planning authorities prior to the submission of an application for planning permission.

This will then be considered by a new body with powers to give consent, namely the Infrastructure Planning Commission (IPC) who will deal with the application within the framework of the NPS. This, it is hoped, will eliminate the problem which has been apparent in the past that has lengthened local planning inquiries through arguments as to whether a runway is required or not.

The IPC will, in fact, have to complete their enquiry and decision making within strict statutory time limits. This is expected to be under a year from application to decision.

The question to be asked is this: is this timetable able to give adequate time for representation to those who will no doubt oppose such large-scale developments? We shall see in due course at what level of magnitude and importance an application has to reach to be referred to the IPC. It may prove quicker to go along that route than through the ordinary appeals procedure.

Even before the new Planning Act was passed the Government decided to look again at changes in the planning law in order too improve time taken for decision making and instituted a new review by David Pretty, director of the Home Builders Federation and Joanne Killian, chief executive of Essex County Council, both very experienced in planning and local government, who have now reported in what is called the Killian Pretty Review (see www.communities.gov.uk/corporate – search for the Killian Pretty Review and then scroll down to planning portal and choose the summary PDF275KB).

This sets out 17 detailed recommendations to make the application process more efficient and at the same time reducing the number of planning applications made by 15,000 a year from commercial and other non-residential parties. Housing and Planning Minister Margaret Beckett has welcomed the new proposals and is to publish an implementation plan early next year. This will bring more upheaval for our hard-working planning departments but an upheaval which we hope will bring the UK's position in the World Bank ranking for ease of doing business up from the very low 61st place in world economics that we currently occupy.