End of the right to challenge planning rulings

 Residents' rights to mount legal challenges to controversial development projects will be severely restricted, David Cameron will announce.

 The Prime Minister will put reforms of the planning system at the heart of a drive to place the public sector on a أ¢â‚¬إ“war footingأ¢â‚¬آ‌.

The pursuit of economic growth will now come before all other concerns, just as defeating Hitlerأ¢â‚¬â„¢s Germany supplanted all other considerations during the Second World War, Mr Cameron will say.

The Prime Minister will tell business leaders that to ensure Britain keeps its place in the top tier of world economies, he is willing to put previous concerns aside and أ¢â‚¬إ“throw everything weأ¢â‚¬â„¢ve got at winning in this global raceأ¢â‚¬آ‌.

As well as launching a fresh attack on planning rules, Mr Cameron will attack أ¢â‚¬إ“risk averseأ¢â‚¬آ‌ civil servants and the أ¢â‚¬إ“bureaucratic rubbishأ¢â‚¬آ‌ imposed by Whitehall on businesses.

In a speech to the CBI, the Prime Minister will say that the legal right to ask for a judge to review controversial planning decisions will be sharply curbed, declaring: أ¢â‚¬إ“We urgently need to get a grip on this.أ¢â‚¬آ‌

Mr Cameron will argue that the rules are being abused to frustrate economically vital developments and will say a أ¢â‚¬إ“massive growth industryأ¢â‚¬آ‌ of seeking judicial reviews of planning decisions has been fuelled by solicitors and campaign groups.

Many applicants are guilty of أ¢â‚¬إ“time-wastingأ¢â‚¬آ‌ and bringing أ¢â‚¬إ“hopeless casesأ¢â‚¬آ‌ simply to waste developersأ¢â‚¬â„¢ time, the Prime Minister will say. He will outline a number of changes the Government wants to make, including shortening the three-month time limit on applying for a review.

Charges for an application will rise أ¢â‚¬إ“so people think twice about time-wasting.أ¢â‚¬آ‌ The number of possible appeals against decisions will also be cut from four to two.

Downing Street claimed the current rules encourage أ¢â‚¬إ“weak or ill-conceived cases which are submitted even when the applicant knows they have no chance of successأ¢â‚¬آ‌.

It added that the number of applications for judicial review rose from 160 in 1975 to 11,200 last year. Only around one in six applications is actually granted, officials said.

Dan McLean, of the Campaign to Protect Rural England, warned the changes could curb a fundamental democratic right to challenge decisions affecting their homes and lives.

He said: أ¢â‚¬إ“Putting this option further out of reach for many people will only make it even harder for local people to take a democratic role in planning decisions where they live.أ¢â‚¬آ‌

Mr Cameron will make the assault on planning laws only months after the Coalition concluded what ministers said was a far-reaching reform of the planning rules.

The introduction of the National Planning Policy Framework led to major protests from campaign groups, which warned that it would lead to unrestrained building on rural land. In the face of protests أ¢â‚¬â€‌ including The Daily Telegraphأ¢â‚¬â„¢s Hands Off Our Land campaign أ¢â‚¬â€‌ Mr Cameron rethought the policy.

But the Prime Minister will reopen the battle amid continued concern about the economy and under intense pressure from the Treasury.

The country emerged from recession last month, but the Bank of England has warned that the economy could shrink again this year, and faces several years of dismal growth.

Mr Cameron last year faced a backlash from senior officials when he described civil servants as the أ¢â‚¬إ“enemies of enterpriseأ¢â‚¬آ‌, an attack he later said he regretted.

Today, he will return to the issue, accusing some officials of impeding growth by foisting paperwork on businesses and delaying vital decisions for procedural reasons.

Whitehall must now undergo a أ¢â‚¬إ“revolution,أ¢â‚¬آ‌ just as it did in wartime, Mr Cameron will say. أ¢â‚¬إ“Normal rules were circumvented. Convention was thrown out. Everything was thrown at the overriding purpose of beating Hitler. Well, this country is in the economic equivalent of war today أ¢â‚¬â€œ and we need the same spirit.أ¢â‚¬آ‌