In recent days,however,there appears to some “push  back” on the virtual relentless focus on this topic, generated by both “overload” and recognition that common sense has to come into the equation too.

The UK Conservative Party’s proposal of an annual “green air miles allowance” that gives travellers one short haul flight annually at a low tax rate and subsequent flights at a higher rate is perhaps typical of the measures widely seen as needing a “reality check”. This resistance is beginning to be seen in the ports sector as well – complaints from UK interests growing steadily louder about the time it takes from project conception to delivery.

But will this problem get worse before it gets better? Taking stock of the remarks of Louis Gowman, a partner in Lawrence Graham’s port practice, when discussing the new UK Marine Bill in this issue, it certainly seems that the former will be the case.

Ms Gowan highlights the rapid emergence of new European Union and UK policies and regulations governing the port planning process. She points out that by the time a port has made its way through an Environmental Impact Assessment and finally got to the point of making an application for consent, it is quite feasible that it could find itself facing a whole new set of planning requirements. In effect, it could clear one set of planning hurdles only to be presented with  another!

That this is actually possible has to be nothing other than madness. In our view, this form of ‘extreme bureaucracy’ hints of the danger of an industry being regulated out of sight – or at least out of sync with national economic requirements.

The UK appears to be a striking example of “over regulation” in a planning context, with new environmental requirements to a large extent responsible for this. 

No one argues with the need to be environmentally responsible – we all know there is a price to be paid if  this doesn’t happen – but equally, over zealous regulation also comes with a price attached to it. Carly Fields