New roads, reservoirs, airports and railways held up by lengthy legal challenges will be completed more quickly under new proposals announced by the chancellor, Rachel Reeves.
The government says it will work with the judiciary to cut the amount of time it takes for judicial reviews of nationally critical infrastructure projects to move through the court system by around half a year. Judicial reviews can currently take well over a year to be resolved, stalling major projects the government says are essential for kickstarting economic growth.
‘In many cases they go over budget by millions and put thousands of new jobs, energy security for millions of homes and greater transport links for communities on ice’, a statement from HM Treasury said.
Of the 34 infrastructure projects that have faced judicial reviews since 2008, just four were upheld. The Norfolk Offshore Windfarm judicial review took two years, causing delays to the delivery of energy to the equivalent of more than 1.3 million homes. Improvements to the A38 Derby junction were delayed for over a year, holding up much investment into local transport connections, the statement added.
Major road projects are paying up to £121 million per scheme due to delays in legal proceedings, with the cost of workers’ wages, legal fees and weakened investor confidence fuelling overspend.
‘The previous government sided with the blockers, who held our economy to ransom for too long, abusing the lengthy judicial review process to delay critical national infrastructure projects and holding back economic growth’, Reeves said.
“Our planning reforms are set to benefit the economy by up to £7.5 billion over the next ten years, so whether through reducing the length of the judicial review process, tearing up burdensome regulations, or streamlining planning permissions with AI, we want to go further still by backing the builders not the blockers and deliver national renewal by getting Britain building.”
Housing secretary Steve Reed added:
“Serial objectors have held Britain’s future to ransom while families struggle to find affordable homes and businesses wait years for vital infrastructure. We can’t let frivolous legal challenges gum up the courts and grind our economy to a halt.
“Just four out of 34 judicial reviews since 2008 were actually upheld. It’s clear the system is being abused by those who want to stop progress at any cost. We’re backing the builders, not the blockers, and getting Britain building again.”
In the run-up to the autumn budget, a cross-government drive to kickstart the economy through a series of pro-growth announcements is being planned by the chancellor. In addition to amendments to the Planning and Infrastructure Bill announced last week, the chancellor said she ‘is committed to going further and faster on breaking down barriers in the planning system, building on progress already made, with a record 21 decisions made on major infrastructure projects in the first year of this government’.
‘Critical infrastructure is the lifeblood of the economy: it powers homes and businesses, moves people to places and goods to markets, creates capacity for new homes and industrial zones and enables sustainable, resilient growth’, said Chris Ball, UK and Ireland president of international infrastructure companyAtkinsRéalis.
“The faster these projects move into delivery, the sooner their economic impact can be felt locally and through the jobs and investment in supply chains across the country. We welcome efforts to remove systemic barriers to delivery and streamline the system by fast-tracking projects whilst also taking careful account of the impact on nature and ensuring that local communities continue to have a vital role within the decision-making process.”
