Planning and Infrastructure Bill: HL Bill 110 of 2024–25
The Planning and Infrastructure Bill would make changes to the system for approving major infrastructure projects, planning committees and nature recovery. It would also make changes to electricity and transport infrastructure processes, development corporations, spatial development strategies, and compulsory purchase. The government intends the bill to help grow the economy by enabling important infrastructure and homes to be built more quickly. Some parts of the bill, particularly those related to nature recovery, have attracted criticism from opposition parties and external bodies.
The government introduced the Planning and Infrastructure Bill to implement its manifesto commitments to reform the planning system, accelerate infrastructure delivery and enable the construction of 1.5mn homes in England. Through the bill, the government intends to address what it describes as inefficiencies in housing development, infrastructure project approval and environmental mitigation.
On infrastructure, the bill would make changes to the nationally significant infrastructure projects regime. It also contains measures on electricity and transport infrastructure.
Planning reforms include measures on planning fees and committees. The bill would introduce a ‘national scheme of delegation’, under which it would be specified at a national level which planning decisions would be decided on by officers and which by planning committees. The bill also contains measures on spatial development strategies.
The bill proposes a new system for development and nature recovery, in which developers would be able to pay into an ‘environmental delivery plan’ in respect of a certain element of environmental protection. This would discharge their responsibilities relating to that element.
The bill also contains provisions on development corporations and compulsory purchase.
Several elements of the bill were criticised during the bill’s passage through the House of Commons. Opposition parties argued the national scheme of delegation would mean too much power being transferred from local to central government. The bill’s provisions on nature recovery have attracted significant debate both inside Parliament and from external commentators, with critics arguing they would reduce environmental protections.
Government amendments were made to the bill at committee and report stages in the House of Commons. No opposition amendments were made. The bill passed its third reading on division. It is scheduled to have its second reading in the House of Lords on 25 June 2025.