The review 'Planning Applications: a faster and more responsive system' will examine what can disrupt the progress of an application from when it is submitted up to and beyond when a decision is made, and will be carried out by Joanna Killian, chief executive of Essex County Council and David Pretty, former group chief executive of Barratt Developments.

It will make recommendations for improving the process, but importantly it will not seek to shift the balance of decision making, weaken important safeguards, or reduce public consultation.

Some of the issues in the current system that could be addressed include:

* Unnecessary duplication of paperwork in the application process. One part of a planning application for a housing development, for example, needed 24 copies of every single page, requiring a fork lift truck to deliver a dozen boxes.

* Delays occurring even after permission has been granted because pre-build conditions like construction schedules and legal steps are not being resolved quickly. One London application took 15 months after approval in principle to agree conditions.