Government unveils spring Planning Bill to accelerate critical infrastructure

The UK government has confirmed that it will bring forward a Planning and Infrastructure Bill this spring, aimed at expediting the development of large-scale projects such as wind farms and transport links by stripping away barriers in the current planning process.

Under the new legislation, ministers plan to streamline bureaucracy to meet the government’s growth and climate objectives more rapidly. Wind farm developments—often stalled by lengthy consultations and legal challenges—are a particular focus, as are other nationally significant infrastructure projects like train lines and nuclear power plants.

In the spirit of delivering a “smooth and speedy” legislative passage, the government said it would work closely with Parliamentarians to finalise measures intended to fast track approvals for these crucial projects. Details are now emerging in a working paper, which highlights plans to simplify and modernise consultation requirements, update National Policy Statements at least every five years to offer developers greater certainty, and reduce administrative red tape for developers.

Notably, the government has declared a moratorium on the creation of new statutory consultees—third-party bodies that must be consulted on major planning applications. It will also review current consultees to ensure they align with national ambitions for infrastructure and growth.

This proposal follows last week’s announcement of reforms to judicial review processes. Under current rules, certain planning challenges can return to court multiple times even when the case has been declared unarguable, potentially delaying major schemes by months or years. The government now intends to allow only one attempt at legal challenge in such cases, preventing what officials describe as “blockers” that impede progress on critical developments.

Environmental regulations are also set for reform, with Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs) being replaced by new Environmental Outcome Reports. Ministers say this will make the system “simpler and clearer” while still prioritising environmental protections. Accompanying this, a roadmap for the new assessments is expected to be published in the coming months, outlining how the revised system will function. Meanwhile, a Nature Restoration Fund will enable developers to pay into a collective pot to safeguard habitats or species, reducing the administrative burden on builders who can proceed in the knowledge that offset measures are being funded.

Many of these proposals build on earlier working papers, which addressed planning committee reforms and eased environmental obligations to encourage faster construction. The latest working paper also sets out the government’s vision for a 10-year Infrastructure Strategy, which will underpin objectives to deliver clean energy by 2030 and achieve net zero by 2050 while spurring economic growth.

Industry stakeholders are being invited to share their views during the ongoing consultation, with the final 10-year strategy scheduled for publication in late spring. In a statement, ministers emphasised that the combined planning, infrastructure and environmental reforms will streamline decision-making without compromising ecological goals, ensuring that Britain’s most crucial projects can be delivered at the pace demanded by both investors and the climate agenda.