TODAY in the Lords we have the final day – Third Reading – on the Government's Planning Bill.

We've already had 10 days since July on this massive and complicated Bill which makes some important changes to the planning system.

It's mainly about what they call "nationally significant infrastructure projects" – new and expanded airports, power stations, major roads, railway lines, ports, pipelines and the like.

The Government thinks the planning process for this kind of big project takes too long, and they are right. But they have the wrong answer.

A new national quango type of body called the Infrastructure Planning Commission (IPC) will decide on planning applications for these schemes.

The Government will issue new national policy statements on these matters and the IPC will push through the applications – that's the theory anyway.

Opponents and local communities will have fewer rights to object, though councils will be able to put forward their views on how the projects will affect their local area.

It's not really the job of the Lords to challenge the fundamentals of a Bill like this. It's more to try to get rid of the worst bits and make it work better.

My own small contribution has been in the area of commons and village and town greens. As the Bill was drafted the IPC could ride roughshod over many of the protections that exist on these patches of land.

I raised these issues and I'm delighted that the Government has listened to the concerns and have now tabled their own changes.

These do everything that I've asked of them. It's the kind of thing that makes traipsing to London and back every week seem really worthwhile - and why we need the House of Lords!