Plans by the government to make fast-track planning procedures permanent have been criticised by the Council of State, the government’s most senior advisory body, the Volkskrant reports on Wednesday.

Planning procedures were shortened during the economic crisis with the aim of making it faster and easier to carry out infrastructure projects, such as building new roads.
The law was finally passed by the senate in March 2010 and by June MPs were already calling for it to be made permanent.
The Volkskrant says the Council of State has several objections to this.
There has been no analysis of the effect of the fast-track procedures, and there are also indications that the law has actually become more complicated. In addition, it is not clear what the effect will be on the rights of citizens and the balance of power in planning disputes, the paper says.