Introduction
In this blog post, we discuss the Government’s proposed planning reforms to encourage economic growth and infrastructure delivery announced in a Treasury Press Release and a new Working Paper which has been published
Treasury Press Release – ‘Government goes further and faster on planning reform in bid for growth’
On 26 January 2025 the Government issued the above Press Release discussing how planning reform can deliver economic growth
The Press Release can be accessed here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-goes-further-and-faster-on-planning-reform-in-bid-for-growth
In the Press Release, the Government broadly discusses the following proposed reforms to the planning system to encourage economic growth:
- Modifications to the NSIP regime
- Plans for the promotion of more housing near commuter train stations to be introduced under new National Development Policies
- Reforms provided under the upcoming Planning and Infrastructure Bill (to be introduced to Parliament in Spring) which remove the red tape slowing down the approval of infrastructure projects
- The promotion of Manchester local development orders and regeneration projects
- Brownfield Passports
Planning Reform Working Paper: Streamlining Infrastructure Planning
Also published by the Government on 26 January 2025 is the above Working Paper discussing proposed reforms to streamline infrastructure planning
The Working Paper can be accessed here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/planning-reform-working-paper-streamlining-infrastructure-planning
The Working Paper invites views on proposed reforms to the planning system to streamline the development of critical infrastructure, in particular Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects (NSIPs). The objective of these reforms is to deliver a faster, more certain, and less costly NSIP regime, thereby ensuring it can deliver high quality infrastructure and drive forward the Government’s growth and clean power commitments
The Government intends to use the upcoming Planning and Infrastructure Bill to implement the reforms outlined in the Working Paper
Key proposals in the Working Paper include:
- Changes to the Court procedure for cases involving DCOs and NSIPs by introducing target timeframes for determining cases, streamlining the judicial review procedure at the permission stage, and removing the right of appeal to the Court of Appeal for cases without merit
- Changes to make DCOs flexible and to the process for amending DCOs
- Changes to the NSIP consultation process
- Streamlining the process for changing National Policy Statements
- National Policy Statements to be required to be updated every 5 years
Our Comments
The illusive concept of economic growth seems to be the priority of the Government given that such growth in the UK has stalled in recent years. Certainly, the planning system has its part to play in encouraging economic growth and infrastructure delivery is also critical, therefore one can only welcome the Government’s proposed reforms to streamline and improve the processes under the planning system for the approval of new infrastructure development
Note: all comments and views expressed in this blog are merely opinions and provided for information purposes only and do not constitute legal advice which can be relied upon. Should you require legal advice on a matter then please contact us
