The amendments to the landmark Planning and Infrastructure Bill could become law later this year if ministers vote them through.
If passed, the bill will give ministers new powers to issue ‘holding directions’ to stop councils refusing planning permission whilst they consider using their ‘call-in’ powers.
Under existing rules, these holds can only be issued when councils are set to approve applications.
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The proposed changes would also support builders by stopping planning permissions from being timed out on housing projects that are facing lengthy judicial reviews, as well as potentially slashing a year off the statutory pre-consultation period for large infrastructure projects.
Almost 900 major housing schemes have been blocked by local councils in the past year, according to a government statement.
Proposed reform
As part of the reforms, Natural England’s role would also be streamlined in a bid to speed up approvals for new homes and infrastructure.
Currently, the body is required by law to respond to every query from local authorities that relates to nature.
Under the changes, Natural England would have greater discretion to focus on applications that pose higher risks or present stronger opportunities for nature recovery, with standard guidance provided to local authorities for straightforward cases.
Housing secretary Steve Reed said: “Britain’s potential has been shackled by governments unwilling to overhaul the stubborn planning system that has erected barriers to building at every turn. It is simply not true that nature has to lose for economic growth to succeed.
“Sluggish planning has real-world consequences. Every new house blocked deprives a family of a home. Every infrastructure project that gets delayed blocks someone from a much-needed job. This will now end.
“The changes we are making today will strengthen the seismic shift already underway through our landmark bill. We will ‘build, baby, build’ with 1.5 million new homes and communities that working people desperately want and need.”
Unlocking growth
Other key changes to the bill include speeding up approvals for large reservoirs by enabling non-water sector companies to build reservoirs that are automatically considered as nationally significant infrastructure projects.
The government is also proposing to unlock more onshore windfarms, which it said would secure around 3GW of onshore wind and up to £2 billion extra investment for UK-based businesses.
The chancellor, Rachel Reeves, said: “The outdated planning system has been gummed up by burdensome bureaucracy and held to ransom by blockers for too long.
“Our pro-growth planning bill shows we are serious about cutting red tape to get Britain building again, backing the builders not the blockers to speed up projects and show investors that we are a country that gets spades in the ground and our economy growing.”
