They are a gross centralisation of power

Kate Parminter CPRE

Transport Secretary Stephen Byers labelled the current system a "banquet for barristers".

Under the new proposals, Parliament will decide in principle whether such schemes should go ahead.

Local groups will only be able to comment on the detail of the projects in a shorter inquiry.

With two weeks remaining of the consultation period for the plans, full page newspaper adverts are appearing with the backing of Friends of the Earth, the Council for the Protection of Rural England (CPRE) and Transport 2000.

Letters plea

The groups object to the proposals, insisting they are a major attack on the right of local people to have their say on the future of their environment.

They are urging people to flood the prime minister with letters asking him to rethink the proposals.

CPRE director Kate Parminter said she had no objection to the government putting time limits on public inquiries.

They have always been decided already at a national level

Lord Falconer Housing and Planning Minister

But she told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "[The plans] are a gross centralisation of power, moving the focus of debate away from local communities and back to Westminster.

"That goes against the grain of other government policies."

But Housing and Planning Minister Lord Falconer said the proposals would only annually affect one or at most two "major infrastructure projects".

"These are issues that affect the whole nation.

'More democratic'

"They have in the last 30 years always been called in by the secretary of state so they have always been decided already at a national level.

"What we are proposing is that parliament should become involved in addressing the issue - that's making it more democratic."

He said long inquiries became a "blight over the people" in the areas concerned.

"I don't think nine years waiting to decide whether there should be Terminal Five [at Heathrow] is the right sort of period."