Planning for major infrastructure projects will be fast-tracked under plans announced by Michael Gove.
The levelling up secretary said he wanted to slash the time it takes for projects to be approved, streamline the current system, and establish a new fast-track route to planning approval for projects that provide community and environmental benefits.
The announcement of the consultation follows Gove’s speech earlier this week, which set out plans to deliver new homes in Cambridge, inner London and Leeds, backed by nationwide reforms to the planning system.
Gove said: “It is vital we can deliver the major infrastructure we need to regenerate our communities and level up. But local authorities and planners face barriers and red tape which have resulted in delays impacting on homeowners and housebuilders alike. That’s why we are bringing forward changes to accelerate the infrastructure we need.”
The proposals in the Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects consultation paper include:
- Streamlining the consent process from beginning to end to ensure that the majority of projects can move through the system more quickly.
- Creating a new fast-track route to consent, potentially halving the time it takes for some projects to be determined.
- Increasing resources and skills, including at the Planning Inspectorate, to support infrastructure delivery.
- Incentivising developers to engage more proactively and effectively with local authorities and communities to ensure major infrastructure projects deliver for the communities that host them.
The consultation will open today and close on 19 September.
Alongside this ministers have announced additional support for councils to help them speed up the delivery of vital infrastructure through the second round of the Innovation and Capacity Fund.
Some £24m has also been set aside to recruit “hundreds of new planners” to tackle the planning backlog.
The bidding process for the Innovation and Capacity Fund will run until 25 August.
Prime minister Rishi Sunak said: “Strong communities need to be supported by vital infrastructure; the transport links, power plants and buildings that underpin our everyday lives… It is right that we make it as easy as possible for these important projects to be approved and delivered across the country.”
Local government minister Lee Rowley added: “Too many vital projects are being held up by needless bureaucracy and red-tape – we must speed up the planning process so we can get building and deliver.”
The consultation paper can be found here.
To send feedback, e-mail piers.wehner@eg.co.uk or tweet @PiersWehner or @EGPropertyNews
