The legislation debuted today (Tuesday 11th March) and the government insists it will ‘speed up planning decision to boost housebuilding’.
The legislation entering Parliament is central to the government’s pledge to boost economic growth and deliver on their target to provide 1.5 million new homes – a promise that’s been part of their manifesto since the snap election last July.
What’s more, minsters have also claimed the Bill will help beat ‘the blockers’ to construct roads, railway lines and windfarms.
‘We’re creating the biggest building boom in a generation – as a major step forward in getting Britain building again and unleashing economic growth in every corner of the country, by lifting the bureaucratic burden which has been holding back developments for too long,’ Angela Rayner, Deputy Prime Minister and Secretary of State said.
‘The Planning and Infrastructure Bill will unleash seismic reforms to help builders get shovels in the ground quicker to build more homes, and the vital infrastructure we need to improve transport links and make Britain a clean energy superpower to protect bill payers,’ she continued.
New reforms set out in the Bill include:
Planning committees
A new programme of delegation will outline which planning applications should be determined by officers and which should go to committee. What’s more, control will be put in place over the size of planning committees, banning ‘large and unwieldy committees’ to encourage good discussion.
Local authorities will also be able to establish their own planning fees to allow them to cover their costs and the money will be reinvested back into the system
National Significant Infrastructure Projects (NSIP)
The latest NSIP regime will streamline consultation requirements for major infrastructure projects – such as windfarms and railway lines. Infrastructure applications will also be assessed against national policies, which will be updated least every five years.
Likewise, challenging government decisions on major infrastructure projects will become harder. Going forward, ‘meritless’ cases can only have one – rather than three – chance at a legal challenge.
Compulsory purchase reform
This will allow for land to be acquired for projects that benefit the public, for example when a council purchases land for affordable housebuilding.
Development corporations
Historically these have been used to deliver post-war new towns and to handle developments of a scale too great for the private sector and now they will be strengthened with enhanced powers.
Nature restoration fund
The fund will be launched with the purpose of pooling contributions to fund larger environmental interventions.
Builders will be able to pay into the fund to waive environmental obligations on individual projects, allowing them to proceed with construction quicker.
Strategic planning
Various ‘spatial development strategies’ will be delivered for a number of areas spanning local planning authorities, identifying the most sustainable areas to build. These plans will be produced by mayors or, in some cases, councils.
Other important aspects included in the Bill include clean energy – projects to deliver clean power will be prioritised for grid connections – and bill discounts, people living within 500 metres of new pylons across Great Britain will get money off their electricity bills.
Photo by C Dustin via UnSplash
In related news:
Staffordshire woman prosecuted for failing to remove illegal waste
To cut the red tape we must cut planning reform involvement, ministers say