Chancellor says ‘we are delivering’ as planning bill becomes law
Rachel Reeves said government changes to planning laws will “tear down barriers to growth” after a raft of planning reforms received Royal Assent.
The government says measures introduced yesterday as part of its flagship Planning and Infrastructure Bill will speed up development of nationally important infrastructure projects such as reservoirs, along with road and rail schemes.
Key reforms included in the act will see strategic planning measures introduced through the use of spatial development strategies, designed to create greater cross-boundary working between local authority areas.
Plans to “modernise” local planning committees are also included, designed to speed-up the planning system by setting out which specific planning functions should be made by committee and which could be delegated to planning officers for a faster decision.
The government claims the changes will result in a £7.5bn boost for the country’s economy over the next ten years.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves said the legislation would end “years of dither and delay” which had held back vital projects such as the Lower Thames Crossing, and the Sizewell C nuclear reactor.
“We promised to grasp the nettle of planning reform, and we’re delivering,” she said.
“And we’re not stopping there, this government will leave no stone unturned to get spades in the ground, building the homes families need and the infrastructure our economy needs to thrive.”
Meanwhile new rules will strengthen the powers of government-appointed development corporations, such as those planned to build up to a dozen new towns across the UK, adding pioneering heat networks to the list of infrastructure they can provide using delegated powers, and remove restrictions on provision of railways, light railway, and tramways.
In a linked announcement this week, the government also announced the establishment of its “Nature Restoration Fund”, which will use developer contributions to fund schemes which restore protected habits and species, potentially replacing mitigation measures for individual developments in a bid to speed up the planning process.
Housing secretary Steve Reed said the change marks a move away from a “broken status quo” that has prevented homes and infrastructure from being built, whilst “doing nothing for nature’s recovery.”
“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,” he said.
“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.
“We’re ushering in a new era to build 1.5 million homes that will give families a secure roof over their head, alongside key infrastructure to create high-paying jobs and power our homes and businesses.”
Liverpool in the next few years will be very interesting as we were told it was the tories who were holding the city back. The planning agenda is a joke it usually includes bungalow extentions and things like that. Labour in Liverpool can’t blame tories anymore we need to get building and fast.
By Liverpool needs ambition
Labour councillors are the ones who object to anything getting built. These councillors need to put their Cities/Town economic future ahead of a few Nimbys who oppose everything.
By Trevor
Ha! She’d be out of her depth in a puddle.
By Anonymous
Anonymous 12.53 PM – You are a comic genius, whatever your job is you are clearly wasted.
By Anonymous
Liverpool needs ambition is right the planning agenda is so underwhelming. Tesco opening a new store after a 6 month consultation is the type of Liverpool story you get on this site.
By Simon Bennett
Once again Ministers blaming the planning system rather than the lack of capacity within the development industry, skills shortages, infrastructure provision delays, and land banking.
By In The Trenches
Not to disparage the amazing the development of Manchester, why is it Liverpool does not generate the same of similar levels of investment. The powers that be need to up their game so that every time I read a piece in PNW about Liverpool it one amongst fifty stories of development for Manchester. The entire North needs to be made an economic powerhouse
By Steven Owen
Land banking by developers is the biggest issue to holding back delivery. It’s not the planning system or the so called ‘blockers’. Force the developers to build out the 1.4 million homes that have planning approval!!!
By Richard Furlong
Anyone who has tried to get anything to a planning committee in Liverpool knows full well that it is a lack of leadership in the planning department that holds developments back. It’s either a lack of knowledge, confidence, or fear of making the wrong decision, but there’s no planning balance. Consultees rightly provide comments on their areas of expertise, but the planning department fails to assess everything ‘in the round’ as they are supposed to do. Rather than look at the big picture, developers are told to satisfy every single consultee (even when they have conflicting requests!). Strong and decisive leadership is precisely what is holding Liverpool back.
By Anonymous
We need to make this work for the sake of the country going forward, I spent a number of years (as a councillor) on a planning committee in the NW some years ago and it was tedious to say the least with what we got bogged down with, which was further exacerbated by the lack of open minded and knowledge based decision making by committee members. All the reform in the world will go to waste if elected members don’t have the vision and ability to behave and vote outside the NIMBY way of doing things or have the skills and planning knowledge to make rational, logical, fact based decisions rather than emotional or narrow minded self interest or party based reactions to planning.
By Russell P
Russell P, you have confirmed what most of us working in the development world already know. In my view the answer is to take planning decisions out of the hands of local councillors with a greater role for the independent planning inspectorate.
By Anonymous