The government has promised to “unleash seismic reforms” to the planning system under major new legislation being published on Tuesday.
The Planning and Infrastructure Bill is expected to include wide-ranging changes to help deliver on Labour’s promise to build 1.5 million homes and make decisions on 150 major infrastructure projects by the next election in 2029.
Reforms include making the planning process easier, giving communities living near new electricity pylons money off their energy bills and changing the way developers meet environmental obligations.
Deputy Prime Minister and Housing Secretary Angela Rayner said the government would create “the biggest building boom in a generation” by “lifting the bureaucratic burden which has been holding back developments for too long”.
She added: “The Planning and Infrastructure Bill will unleash seismic reforms to help builders get shovels in the ground quicker to build more homes, and the vital infrastructure we need to improve transport links and make Britain a clean energy superpower to protect billpayers.”
The bill is expected to include plans to allow more planning applications to be decided by planning officers instead of elected councillors, with council planning committees to be made smaller to “ensure good debate is encouraged”.
Planning fees will also be allowed to be set by councils to recover their costs, and “meritless” legal challenges to major applications will face a crackdown.
Article from Sky News