The Planning and Infrastructure Bill was introduced to Parliament on Tuesday 11 March covering England and Wales (and some provisions are relevant to Scotland). The legislative reforms in the Bill are the next step in a turbo-charged programme of “transformative reforms to get Britain building, tackle blockers and unleash billions in economic growth”.
The Bill is wide ranging in focus with stated goals of boosting housing, infrastructure, and clean energy as well as building on proposals set out in the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) in December and commitments to planning regime reforms –trailed in a series of working papers published in December last year and January this year.
The seven key takeaways from our experts are as follows:
- Planning Decision Making
A key focus of the Bill is the streamlining of planning decisions. The proposed national scheme of delegation and alterations to Planning Committee structures aim to address long-standing issues with bureaucratic delays. The Bill seeks to take forward measures to increase delegated level decision making and avoid applications needing to go before Councillors at Planning Committee meetings. The changes, to be included in a new national scheme of delegation, will prevent committee-level decision making on smaller applications below a set threshold, to be set between 10 and 100 homes, or on Reserved Matters applications of any scale. Mandatory training for Councillors is also proposed.
Caroline McDade, Head of National Planning commented: “This is all positive news and anything which helps to streamline decision making should be welcomed, particularly as it provides more certainty for smaller schemes. However, simply redistributing responsibilities does not guarantee efficiency. Effective implementation requires a robust framework, adequate resourcing, and a commitment to informed, locally relevant decision-making. Provisions are also made within the Bill for local planning authorities to set their own planning fees (and ringfenced) going beyond the planned increase in fees already to come into force on 1st April this year. These measures may go some way to helping with local planning authority resourcing.”
- Spatial Planning
The Bill paves the way for a new system of "strategic planning" through spatial development strategies (SDSs) reflecting the system in place for the last twenty years in London. These would be prepared by combined authorities; county councils and unitary authorities the Bill also enables the Government to establish “strategic planning boards” to prepare SDSs on behalf of specific groups of authorities.
Guidance is set out in the MHCLG Guidance Fact Sheet (11 March 2025) and the proposals will be further embedded in the system through an update to the NPPF in due course.
Kevin Hunt, Head of Bristol Planning commented: “Aligning development needs with infrastructure provision across local authority boundaries is essential for sustainable co-ordinated growth. This approach demands genuine collaboration and a clear understanding of regional priorities. These strategies must be more than just bureaucratic exercises; they must serve as genuine catalysts for integrated development.”
- Major Housing Delivery
The Bill provides additional powers for locally-led development corporations – from infrastructure to transport although the nature of their delivery powers for housing is not revealed. The delivery of new towns is of course one measure being increasingly looked at across local authority areas in order to meet revised higher housing requirements set through the Government’s standard method.
Tom Stanley, Head of Development & Planning commented: “Lessons from past experiences highlight the importance of strong leadership, clear vision, and effective public-private partnerships. Ensuring these entities are empowered to act decisively and efficiently is crucial for their success.”
- Environmental Matters
In order to provide a solution to Nitrate and Water Neutrality, as well as other conservation measures, the Bill proposes the preparation of Environmental Delivery Plans (EDPs) for specific areas. These would be underpinned by the establishment of a Nature Restoration Fund (trailed on 22 January this year in the Government’s Plan for Change) paid in to by developers in the form of a levy (similar to the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL)). This allows for the streamlining environmental obligations and allowing the pooling of these more quickly for greater environmental benefit.
Donna Rourke, Head of ESG & Sustainability commented: “The practicalities of implementation require careful consideration given the already stretched resources of the likely delivery bodies, such as Natural England. In the same way as CIL is managed, some of the receipts will need to be retained to administer the process. Further clear guidelines, robust monitoring mechanisms, and a commitment to tangible environmental benefits are essential for the fund's success.”
- Streamlining Major Infrastructure Projects
The focus on accelerating National Significant Infrastructure Projects (NSIPs) is timely, given the current regime's often cumbersome nature[1]. Practical changes such as streamlining consultation requirements and ensuring national policies are regularly updated, are positive steps. It remains to be seen if the determining timescale can be reduced back to what it was on inception in 2012.
Neil Waterson, Head of Eastern Region Planning commented: “The proposed streamlining of NSIP consultations and policy updates is a welcome step towards accelerating crucial infrastructure projects. However, the true test will be whether these changes can significantly reduce the decision-making timelines, ideally returning to the efficiency seen at the regime’s inception.”
- CPO
Further reforms are proposed to the compulsory purchase regime to enable housebuilding, more effective land assembly and the managing of landowner expectations. Balancing the public interest with the rights of landowners is paramount. Transparency, fairness, and robust safeguards are essential to maintain public trust and prevent potential abuse.
James Barrett, Head of Affordable Housing, Development and Planning commented: “Reforming the CPO regime to facilitate housebuilding and land assembly is a delicate balancing act. While the intent is to enhance efficiency, it is imperative that robust safeguards are in place to protect landowner rights and ensure fairness. Public trust in the process is paramount.“
- Grid Connectivity
Grid connections for clean energy projects are to be given priority, replacing the current ‘first come, first served’ approach. The change, aimed at providing greater certainty on connection, is also stated to help accelerate connections for industrial sites and data centres where energy connections are of course a central consideration. A relaxation to planning rules is also proposed to support the installation of EV charging.
Donna Rourke, Head of ESG & Sustainability commented: “Prioritising grid connections for clean energy projects is a logical and necessary move. The shift from ‘first come, first served’ to a priority-based system should provide greater certainty for developers and accelerate the transition to a greener energy landscape. “
The consensus from our team is that a careful balance must be struck: between accelerating development and upholding environmental protections, between streamlining processes and ensuring fairness, and between central direction and local autonomy. A commitment to collaboration, transparency, and a long-term vision will be essential to realise the intended benefits of these proposed changes.
The proposed Bill will now follow Parliamentary process over the coming months on its course to becoming an Act but there is a lot of scope for debate at the next stages.
[1] In 2021, it took on average 4.2 years for a project to secure development consent compared to 2.6 years in 2012 – Streamlining Infrastructure Planning Policy Paper MHCLG 26 January 2025
