The coalition needs to get a move on

David Cameron’s speech today says all the right things about infrastructure. But the test will be whether Cameron forces these changes through the system.
 
Already, the planning reforms have been held up by a lengthy consultation. The government will respond to this consultation this week. But that won’t be the end of the matter. For even after the government has set its plans before parliament, there’ll be a ‘transition’ period between the old rules and the new ones.
 
All of which is a reminder that if Britain, and especially the capital, is going to get the extra airport capacity it so desperately needs, then decisions will have to be taken soon. Given how long infrastructure projects take in this country, there’s a real danger that endless consultations will mean that by the time a new hub airport is built the patterns of trade for the next few decades will already have been set.