The government has confirmed plans to overhaul UK planning rules and speed up the process for major infrastructure projects
Speeding up planning rules will see wind and solar farms, nuclear plants, reservoirs and new transport links built at the fastest pace in a generation.
Delivered through the landmark Planning and Infrastructure Act, changes confirmed today and set to come into effect later this month will scrap mandatory pre-application consultation requirements for Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects (NSIPs).
This will cut up to 12 months from the planning process and potentially save industry £1bn this Parliament.
Getting projects through the system with more certainty
Developers will receive earlier technical support and meaningful advice from the Planning Inspectorate before applications are submitted, with examinations streamlined to focus on the key issues that matter – getting projects through the system faster and with greater certainty.
Over 80 prospective applicants have already benefited from early advice to help shape their proposed applications since the launch of the Inspectorate’s new pre-application service.
Housing secretary Steve Reed said: “This government is determined to make the UK a world leader in building infrastructure.
“Our overhaul of planning rules will get work started quicker on wind farms, solar panels and transport links to connect our communities and grow our economy.”
Major infrastructure projects could create over 80,000 jobs
In its first year of office, the government has made 21 decisions on major infrastructure projects – including Mona Offshore Wind Farm, Gate Burton Energy Park and the Lower Thames Crossing – double the previous Parliament’s tally at this stage.
These major infrastructure projects could create over 82,000 jobs and generate more clean energy annually to power millions of homes and businesses across the country.
Thanks to new reforms, more projects will also enter the pipeline at a faster rate – putting the government on track to exceed its target of at least 150 major infrastructure decisions.
Overhaul of planning rules will help keep NSIP projects moving
The overhaul of UK planning rules come as wider reforms are already keeping major NSIP projects moving.
New limits on totally without merit legal challenges were recently tested in the Stonestreet Green Solar case, where the court rapidly dismissed a meritless claim – saving a solar project that will power around 42,000 homes from months of unnecessary delay.
As part of the wider package of reforms already underway, local authorities are also being supported to keep pace with the accelerating infrastructure pipeline, as they can now set their own fees to recover costs for NSIP-related work and bid for up to £1m through Round 3 of the Innovation and Capacity Fund.
Putting the plans into practice
The Planning Inspectorate is already putting these changes into practice, with East West Rail among the first NSIP projects to benefit from more structured pre-application support and an ambition to deliver a more targeted examination process, cutting overall timescales.
Additionally, onshore wind projects seeking permission through the Town and Country Planning Act are also set to be freed from the mandatory pre-application consultation requirements for the first time since 2015.
Head of infrastructure decisions and applications service at the Planning Inspectorate, David Price, said: “The Infrastructure Service at the Planning Inspectorate has worked closely with MHCLG throughout the development of the Planning and Infrastructure Act and is ready to support its successful implementation.
“We are committed to working collaboratively with applicants, stakeholders and delivery partners to help realise the ambitions of the legislation and support a more targeted infrastructure consenting process.”
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