The government has announced a series of environmental planning reforms to accelerate infrastructure delivery and homebuilding while safeguarding the environment.
The reforms will be backed by a £500 million budget, which includes funding for the government’s flagship Nature Restoration and Marine Recovery Fund schemes and funding to build capacity in the planning system.
‘This will help to process planning applications faster and help developers bring their projects to life, without compromising on environmental protections – ensuring we build 1.5 million homes and fast-track 150 planning decisions on major infrastructure projects by the end of this Parliament’, the government said.
The Nature Restoration Fund will enable infrastructure builders to meet their environmental obligations faster and at greater scale by pooling contributions from developers to fund larger strategic interventions for nature. The Marine Recovery Fund will deliver industry funded, strategic measures to compensate for adverse effects of offshore wind developments on marine protected areas.
As part of the reforms, one environmental regulator will deliver a coordinated response in major projects on behalf of all regulators – the lead environmental regulator approach. ‘A clear, single point of contact will cut the time it takes to secure planning permissions and approvals for large-scale developments, boosting project certainty and minimising costs and delays’, the government explained.
The first major UK infrastructure project to benefit from this approach will be the Lower Thames Crossing, which will be overseen by Natural England, working with the Environment Agency and the Marine Management Organisation.
Also announced in the package of reforms, Natural England and the Environment Agency will be enabled to speed up planning applications through the use of spatial planning and digital technologies. ‘This will not only help to improve our natural environment but also enable delivery of vital national infrastructure such as wind farms, railways, gigafactories and data centres’, the announcement continued.
A new body has also been established to address planning issues early and keep critical projects on track: the Defra Group Infrastructure Board is set to accelerate the planning process for at least 50 major infrastructure projects including Hinkley Point C, East West Rail and Heathrow expansion. The board will not pre-empt or influence the consenting process, which will continue to be overseen by the Planning Inspectorate.
Steve Reed, secretary of state for environment, food and rural affairs, said:
“People can’t find affordable homes to live in because Britain’s broken planning system has blocked building work, and that’s pushed up prices. These changes will get spades in the ground quicker so developers can build the homes families need.”
Deputy prime minister and housing secretary Angela Rayner added:
“We have been stuck with a status quo that has stopped us building the homes we need, and has done nothing for nature’s recovery. Communities deserve better, that’s why we’re pushing ahead with our pro-growth reforms to not only deliver vital homes and infrastructure, but drive real, lasting recovery for the environment.”
“This is another step towards our 1.5 million homes Plan for Change target which will restore the dream of homeownership, end the housing crisis, and boost economic growth across the country.”
