'Constipated' Planning costing jobs in construction industry

One described the department as ‘constipated’ because of the number of applications stuck in the system and another called it ‘massively incompetent’.

The issue was raised during the latest Chamber of Commerce lunch on Wednesday, which was addressed by the Treasury Minister Philip Ozouf and attended by more than 150 business leaders.

Johnny Moffett, a director of T&G Ltd civil engineering firm, said that two companies had gone under because a £15 million project had been held up by Planning. He said that such a project would have generated £45 million for the economy.