An Environment seminar held at the Duke of Richmond Hotel yesterday saw its minister, Peter Sirett, far left, explain the challenges his department would face with the introduction of the new planning law. (Picture by Adrian Miller, 0601166)

THE island’s new planning law should come into effect at the start of January, according to Environment minister Peter Sirett.

He was addressing members of the Chamber of Commerce at a breakfast seminar yesterday on how the introduction of the law was progressing and the challenges the department was likely to face.

‘We are trying to turn Environment into a can-do department,’ said Deputy Sirett. ‘We have got to put the resources in place that allow the planners to do their job and to do their job with as little interference from the political members as possible.

‘They are the planning experts, so we should allow them to get on with that job.’ Deputy Sirett said the department had recently struggled to attract such officers to the island and there was also the blow of losing two in the past to Jersey.

However, he said the situation was now improving and the turnaround time on decisions had been brought down.