Fear is growing that future development will be hampered by bickering and Nimbyism, following the Queen’s speech this week

The Decentralisation and Localism Bill was one of 24 announced on Tuesday that prompted concern, along with the Energy Security and Green Economy Bill.

Decentralisation and Localism Bill

This aims to give councils planning control, abolish regional spatial strategies, replace the Infrastructure Planning Commission, replace regional development agencies with local enterprise partnerships and abolish home information packs.

Liz Peace, chief executive of the British Property Federation, said: “We need to ensure vital decisions don’t get lost amid the political bickering we often see at local level.”

Energy Security and Green Economy Bill

This will offer loans to homeowners to improve the energy performance of their homes, to be paid back from the money saved on electricity and gas bills. It may also introduce a “green investment bank” for low carbon projects.

Tom Foulkes, director general of the Institution of Civil Engineers, said: “The ICE is yet to be convinced that the green bank is ambitious enough to meet the infrastructure challenge.”

London-Birmingham high-speed rail link

A bill will be introduced “in due course”. Alasdair Reisner, head of industry affairs at the Civil Engineering Contractors Association, said: “A focus on high-speed rail is welcome, but mustn’t come at the expense of current rail spending.”