The Labour government’s long-anticipated Planning and Infrastructure Bill finally landed in Parliament in March 2025, bringing with it the promise of sweeping changes to the UK planning system.
Matthew Wyatt, associate at PWA Planning, shares his initial thoughts on the key provisions and the potential impact on landowners and developers.
Planning committees
The bill introduces a national scheme of delegation, handing the Secretary of State the power to decide which applications go to planning officers and which require committee review. The goal is consistency and faster decisions, allowing committees to focus on the truly complex and contentious cases.
This, in principle, is a welcome move. We’ve all experienced situations where perfectly sound applications get bogged down or even refused by committees due to often unevidenced assertions.
The bill also proposes regulating committee size and composition, suggesting that smaller committees are more effective. Mandatory training for committee members is another positive step, aiming to ensure a consistent understanding of planning law. Untrained members will be barred, and LPAs must publish lists of certified members.
While I believe local politics rightly has a role in planning, I’d argue that councillors should primarily focus on ensuring robust Local Plans that direct development appropriately.
These reforms have the potential to significantly improve the efficiency of the planning system, and should prevent applications from being determined based upon hearsay and pressures to refuse development within the heat of the moment.
Strategic planning
The reintroduction of strategic planning is another significant, and generally positive, development. Combined authorities will be required to produce Spatial Development Strategies (SDS), which will become part of the development plan, guiding local plans.
These SDSs will set housing figures and distribution (but not allocate specific sites), identify suitable development areas, and address climate change and nature recovery. They’ll be subject to independent examination.
This is a welcome return to joined-up thinking, addressing issues that transcend local authority boundaries. Its effective implementation could be critical for delivering the right number of homes, in sustainable locations with appropriate infrastructure, and promoting active travel.
It’s also essential for removing local political obstacles to unlock land for development and to overcome the boundary-limited thinking that has hindered vital infrastructure.
The key will be ensuring these regional strategies are truly strategic, don’t become another layer of bureaucratic process, or a local political reason to delay decision-making on planning applications.
Planning fees
The bill allows LPAs and the Mayor of London to set their own planning application fees, up to the level of full cost recovery. This includes all processing expenses, but not wider planning services like plan-making or enforcement.
It is intended that the income is largely ring-fenced for development management, with the Secretary of State retaining the power to intervene if fees are deemed inappropriate.
While I understand the financial pressures on councils, I’m deeply concerned about this aspect. Some authorities already provide an incredibly poor level of service, and I fear our clients could be paying more with no improvement to the quality of efficiency of decision-making.
There needs to be a cast-iron guarantee that increased fees will translate into tangible service improvements.
There needs to be a regulator, like OFSTEAD or the CQC to ensure that the quality of service matches the fee requirements.
Streamlining infrastructure?
The bill addresses Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects (NSIPs), mandating regular reviews of National Policy Statements (NPSs) and streamlining the Development Consent Order (DCO) process.
The Secretary of State can also redirect some projects to the standard planning route. Appeals will be limited in meritless cases, and the judicial review process will be simplified.
These are sensible steps, but whether they go far enough to truly accelerate infrastructure delivery remains to be seen.
Nature recovery, compulsory purchase, and other measures
The bill introduces Environmental Delivery Plans (EDPs) and a nature restoration levy, drafted by Natural England. It streamlines Compulsory Purchase Orders (CPOs) and extends the power to remove ‘hope value’ for affordable housing projects. Development Corporations will gain greater flexibility.
The bill also addresses energy and transport infrastructure, creating a financial benefit scheme for communities near new transmission infrastructure, introducing a new grid connections process, and removing the need for licences for electric vehicle charging points.
These are all positive steps towards a more sustainable and efficient future.
Potential, but proof will be in the implementation
The Planning and Infrastructure Bill presents a significant opportunity to improve the planning system. The reforms to planning committees and the reintroduction of strategic planning hold particular promise.
However, the changes to planning fees raise serious concerns about potential cost increases without guaranteed service improvements. The devil, as always, will be in the detail, and the success of these reforms will depend heavily on how they are implemented and resourced.
PWA Planning will continue to monitor the bill’s progress and provide updates. Contact our team on 01772 369 669 for personalised advice on how these changes may impact your projects.
