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UK: The government’s Planning and Infrastructure Bill received Royal Assent today, with plans to build 1.5 million homes now becoming law.
The Planning and Infrastructure Bill aims to “remove blockages and delays in the planning system, accelerating the construction of tens of thousands of new homes across every region”.
A target of 1.5 million homes are to be built, with the Act also set to introduce “dozens of new roads, railway lines, wind farms, and key critical infrastructure built quicker”.
Such changes will see up to £7.5 billion injected into the UK economy over the next decade.
In the coming months, ministers will set out when the remaining reforms in the legislation will come into effect. Some of the key measures from the Act can be found here.
Housing secretary Steve Reed said: “Britain’s growth has been held back by a sluggish planning system, slamming the brakes on building and standing in the way of fixing the housing crisis for good.
“Today that changes. Our landmark Planning and Infrastructure Act will tear down barriers to growth, and this means getting spades in the ground faster, unshackling projects stuck in planning limbo and crucially unlocking a win-win for the environment and the economy.”
Brendan Geraghty, CEO of ARL, said: “The introduction of a national framework for delegation of planning decisions to officers, Spatial Development Strategies, reforms to infrastructure project consents and clearer routes for large-scale regeneration should improve certainty, pace and investability upon which institutional-capital depends. The shift away from unpredictable committee decision-making towards delegated, technically grounded determinations also has the potential to reduce risk, and delay, for well-prepared build-to-rent schemes.
“The Act falls short however in addressing several persistent issues facing build-to-rent, namely the absence of a statutory, nationally consistent definition of rental living tenures leaving continued opportunity for inconsistent interpretation, no national planning obligations for long-term rental models, and no guarantee of local authority resourcing which will be essential if the Act’s designs are to be delivered upon.”
Mark Battersby, planner at Newsteer, said: “We are broadly positive about the direction of travel set by the new, long-awaited Act. It’s a step in the right direction towards simplifying and accelerating decision-making, supporting increased housing delivery, and unlocking nationally important infrastructure.
“Its emphasis on strategic planning, clearer well-informed decision-making frameworks, and a more streamlined approach to the NSIP regime should, in principle, support a more predictable and investment-ready planning system. However, the extent to which these benefits are realised and succeed in driving delivery will depend heavily on the detail of the secondary legislation and accompanying guidance, as well as combining with wider initiatives to address ongoing viability issues. Clear transitional arrangements, genuinely streamlined procedures and properly resourced local planning authorities will now be critical for the Act to succeed.”
Highlights:
- The UK government’s Planning and Infrastructure Bill has received Royal Assent, making its provisions law.
- The Act aims to accelerate construction, targeting 1.5 million new homes across the country.
- It introduces reforms to planning and infrastructure projects, including new roads, railways, wind farms, and faster approvals.
- The legislation is expected to inject up to £7.5 billion into the UK economy over the next decade.
