Alistair Darling, Secretary of State for Trade and Industry said: "The current system isn't good enough. Too often delays and high costs dominate. On average when a planning inquiry is involved, large electricity projects take at least three years to be approved. That isn't good enough for our energy needs. I want to change that.”

The government today launched a consultation to streamline the planning system to build the infrastructure for the energy sector.

The new measures will include setting specific timeframes for local authorities to object to plans. They will also cut enquiry length by giving power to inspectors to insist that only summaries of evidence can be read out.

Darling said: "The measures we are introducing are designed to speed up the process, making it quicker and easier for everyone to participate. We need a significant amount of new investment to keep the lights on, and we want much of it to be low carbon. The country can't wait for it. We need a system that allows objectors to have their say, but that is also effective. “