Nick Evans, partner at Bircham Dyson Bell LLP believes that the Severn Barrage project proposal is so significant in terms of size, complications and impact that it should be subject to parliamentary hybrid bill to increase the chances of it going ahead.
Although the project is controversial, its promoters claim it could provide the economic stimulus to Wales not seen since the mining industry was at its peak and is desperately needed to provide growth to Cardiff more specifically.
"Some projects are so large and complicated that they go way beyond the boundaries of the usual planning regimes - not just at local level, but at national level too. Those projects might require parliamentary intervention to ensure that issues are properly considered," explains Nick Evans.
"Recent discussions about the possibility of the Severn barrage proposals being resurrected are timely, given the Secretary of State's announcement on High Speed 2 - which will definitely involve a hybrid bill - and the consultations about a Thames estuary airport scheme, for which a bill is also being considered.
"The Conservative party did raise the possibility of increased use of Parliamentary bills in their pre-election Green Paper "Control Shift" and there now seems to be several projects in the offing where the procedures commonly associated with major developments handled by the planning system might be bypassed in favour of the Parliamentary processes.
"The Severn Barrage could provide Wales with the ability to generate up to 5 per cent of the UK's energy from renewable sources, and could also lead to new jobs and expansion of the local economy - much needed growth for Wales.
"In my view, a hybrid parliamentary bill is the most likely way to bring about the success of the Severn Barrage and should be strongly considered by Westminster."
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