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Planning Bill

I shall just comment on one or two points. The noble and learned Lord, Lord Boyd of Duncansby, in raising the question of aviation, said that the solution has to be related to existing airports. I should not have to remind him that there is at least one person not too far from here who thinks that the solution to the aviation question, particularly so far as the south-east of England is concerned, lies in an area where there is no airport sited at present. There are other reasons why that may become a very real possibility. In this instance, site-specificity may not be as appropriate as the case that he mentioned. I acknowledge the enormous experience and knowledge of government of the noble Lord, Lord Turnbull, but his choice of Nirex as an issue was not a particularly good one. I was involved in a peripheral way through local government, but I had no direct connection with Nirex. The noble Lord is right—it raised a lot of hairs and caused a lot of reaction. When finally a specific site was found, Nirex still managed to get its plan rejected. Here we are, 30 years later, still getting precisely nowhere. Therefore, an argument can be made both ways. I accept that the purpose of the Bill is to reduce delay; heaven knows, I have lived with the planning system for most of my life through my experience in public life. I would be the first to acknowledge the need to reduce delay, but we need to do what we do with our eyes wide open. I am grateful to the noble Baroness for her conscientiousness and for the fullness of her reply, with which I am pleased. It was sufficient justification for this discussion. I beg leave to withdraw the amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.