Fastest infrastructure building in a generation as planning rules overhauled

Fastest infrastructure building in a generation as planning rules overhauled
New reforms confirmed today to speed up the approval process for major infrastructure projects.
- Planning reforms could cut pre-application time by up to 12 months and save developers £1 billion on major infrastructure projects
- Green-lit projects already set to create 82,000 jobs and generate more clean energy annually to power homes and businesses
- Government on track to decide 150 major infrastructure projects this Parliament, nearly triple the last Parliament
Britain is set to build wind and solar farms, nuclear plants, reservoirs and new transport links at the fastest pace in a generation under major infrastructure planning reforms.
Delivered through the landmark Planning and Infrastructure Act, changes confirmed today (Friday 3 July), and coming into effect later this month, will scrap mandatory pre-application consultation requirements for Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects (NSIPs) - cutting up to 12 months from the planning process and potentially saving industry £1 billion this Parliament.
In their place, 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.
Since taking office, the government has made 41 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 this Parliament.
Housing Secretary Steve Reed said:
This government is determined to make the UK a world leader in building infrastructure.
Our reforms will get work started quicker on wind farms, solar panels and transport links to connect our communities and grow our economy.
Energy Minister Michael Shanks said:
Britain cannot afford to wait years for the clean energy infrastructure needed to strengthen our energy security and grow the economy.
Every turbine, every solar panel, every cable we connect helps protect families from volatile fossil fuel markets and paves the way for a new era of clean energy for our country.
Today’s reforms come as the Act’s 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.
Much-needed infrastructure like data centres can now opt in to the NSIP regime that allows developers to rapidly deliver these projects, if granted, through strict, fixed timeframes rather than facing endless delays locally. Ministers have already directed three data centre proposals into the NSIP regime at Wapseys Wood in Buckinghamshire, Ampthill Road in Bedford, and New Barn Lane in Dartford.
As part of the wider package of reforms already underway, local authorities are also being supported to keep pace with the accelerating pipeline of infrastructure, as they can now set their own fees to recover costs for NSIP-related work and bid for up to £1 million through Round 3 of the Innovation and Capacity Fund.
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. In addition, 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.
The news comes as Examining Authorities made 20 recommendations to ministers on NSIPs last year, an 18% increase compared to the previous year, and these applications were processed more quickly than statutory maximum timescales. They have also recruited more inspectors, enabled by £2.2 million additional funding provided since 2024, building on £48 million committed last year to strengthen planning capacity across the public sector with around 1,400 new recruitments this Parliament.
Head of Infrastructure Decisions and Applications Service at the Planning Inspectorate, David Price said:
Further information
Changes set out in the government’s consultation response on NSIP reforms include:
- New guidance on the pre-application period to support the removal of statutory consultation.
- Redesigning services provided by the Planning Inspectorate to support developers during pre-application with earlier technical input and meaningful advice from inspectors.
- Encouraging the earlier submission of Local Impact Reports (LIRs), including draft LIRs, alongside relevant representations to inform the Examining Authority of Principal Issues and focus on key local impacts.
- Supporting efficient and streamlined examinations through greater focus on Initial Assessments of Principal Issues (IAPIs). This is when Examining Authorities identify the key issues for examination and use them to focus the structure and conduct of examinations on the key issues, while continuing to consider all relevant matters.
- A more streamlined process for other planning routes by removing mandatory pre-application consultation requirements that currently apply to certain onshore wind projects seeking permission through the Town and Country Planning Act. Legislation currently dictates that up to and including 100MW facilities are evaluated by local authorities rather than the centralised NSIP process.
We will set out further details of the new guidance shortly, including on the pre-application period to support the removal of the statutory consultation, which will come into effect on 24 July.
An implementation plan to streamline infrastructure planning was published earlier this year.
The application period for Round 3 of the Innovation and Capacity Fund has now closed and the government is assessing the applications. The fund offers additional financial support for local authorities to engage in the NSIP process.
A record 21 decisions were made on major infrastructure in the first year of this Parliament.
The significant pro-growth changes in the landmark Planning and Infrastructure Act will see up to £7.5 billion injected into the UK economy over the next decade.