The Planning and Infrastructure Bill: What It Means for Local Planning

The Planning and Infrastructure Bill: What It Means for Local Planning

The Planning and Infrastructure Bill is a cornerstone of the government’s plan to get “Britain building again” and drive long-term economic growth. It arrives 8 months into the new parliament with no doubt a bumpy ride through the legislative process.

It aims to speed up the delivery of new homes and critical infrastructure, helping to meet the government’s (overly?) ambitious targets like building 1.5 million homes in England and fast-tracking 150 major infrastructure projects by the end of this Parliament.

The Bill aims to unlock the never-ending delay and cost to energy projects and deliver on the government’s Clean Power 2030 target by streamlining the planning process. The legislation follows the revised NPPF and reintroduction of housing targets that aims to deliver a faster and more efficient planning system.

It’s a long bill but so here are some of the ways in which it will affect the day to day of the planning system.

Planning Fees: More Local Control, More Accountability

Planning application fees are set at a national level; they often don’t cover the costs of local planning services, and estimates are that this leads to a £362 million shortfall. The Bill introduces a new system allowing LPAs to set their own fees, ensuring they can properly fund planning services.  It is proposed that increases will be ring-fenced for development management services which differs from current application fees.  We know how much pre-application fees are in some boroughs and how they widely vary; we think this could be an early indicator of how this may play out once enacted.

To ensure some sort of safeguarding, local authorities can’t charge more than the cost of processing applications, and the Secretary of State will have the power to intervene if fees become excessive. The rationale is to strike a balance, giving LPAs the resources they need while keeping costs reasonable for applicants.

Planning Committees: Standardising Decision-Making

The Bill also introduces reforms to planning committees, aiming to create a more consistent and effective system across England.

• A national scheme of delegation will outline which decisions should be made by officers versus planning committees. This is intended to reduce delays and provide clarity for applicants.
• Committee sizes may be regulated to ensure efficient decision-making.
• Mandatory training for committee members will ensure they have the necessary knowledge of planning law and policy before making decisions.

These changes aim to improve the speed and consistency of decisions while maintaining democratic oversight. A controversial one for local politics, however, we seldom find that it steps in when there is overarching support, only fuelling the negative which undoubtably makes making the right decision incredibly hard. This means that limiting political interference at the local level, despite the fact that it might make us uncomfortable, might be the only option to prevent the huge wastes of time and expense we see when it comes to anything that riles up a few individuals.

Spatial Development Strategies: A More Joined-Up Approach

Most of England currently lacks strategic, cross-boundary planning, arguably the biggest gaffe when it comes to an effective planning system. The Bill introduces Spatial Development Strategies (SDSs), a tool designed to address large-scale planning issues such as housing and infrastructure. These strategies will be developed at a regional level by combined authorities, county councils, or new strategic planning boards. We have already seen a series of councils binding together as the first phase of the new era of combined authorities, Oxfordshire & Essex are two examples.

SDSs won’t replace local plans but will set overarching priorities to guide development. The idea is to improve coordination across different areas while still allowing local authorities to shape their own plans.

What’s Next?

The changes in the Planning and Infrastructure Bill represent a shift towards more locally controlled but nationally guided planning. By addressing funding shortfalls, clarifying decision-making, and introducing strategic planning tools, the aim is to make the system more efficient and responsive to the needs of communities and developers alike.

With more autonomy comes greater responsibility for LPAs to deliver an effective and well-resourced planning system, what could go wrong? The coming months will be crucial in determining how these reforms take shape and whether they achieve the intended improvements. We always remain optimistic that any sort of improvement and planning in the spotlight as a positive driver to deliver on the housing and infrastructure we need, this bill does put it front and centre.