Former chief executive of the house builder Barratt - David Pretty - will lead a review called Planning Applications: a faster and more responsive system, together with the chief executive of Essex County Council Joanna Killian.

The planning system is already undergoing a major shake up through the Planning Bill that seeks to speed up decisions about large infrastructure projects like sewage works, reservoirs and airports etc. The government is also likely to want to speed up decisions about new nuclear power plants (see earlier story) but it claims it does not want to shift the balance of decision making, weaken safeguards or reducing public consultation.

The Department for Communities & Local Government (DCLG) also wants to tackle delays in agreeing additional conditions after planning permission for a project has been granted. Blears said: "By removing red tape and unblocking the bottlenecks that are slowing down applications, we can create a planning system that makes it is easier to apply, easier to be heard and easier to be green."