Tag: Housing and Communities

The press release issued by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government on 28 May 2025.

Thousands of homes will be built faster on smaller sites across the country as complex planning rules are streamlined, onerous regulatory burdens eased, and financial firepower is provided to SME builders.

The current system makes it far too difficult for smaller builders to get spades in the ground – with a small site of 10 homes jumping through the same planning hurdles as one with 100 or more.

Smaller firms, which provide local jobs and train eight out of 10 construction apprentices, have seen their market share shrink since the 1980s, when SME builders delivered 40% of the country’s homes.

Today’s changes will help turn this around, driving up competition across the sector and helping deliver the Plan for Change milestone of 1.5 million homes, so more working families and young people can achieve the dream of homeownership.

Today’s proposals include:

• Faster decisions for small sites: Minor developments of up to nine homes will benefit from streamlined planning and eased Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) requirements, with faster decisions being taken by expert planning officers, not planning committees;
• A new ‘medium site’ category: Sites between ten to 49 homes will face simpler rules and fewer costs – including a proposed exemption from the Building Safety Levy and simplified BNG rules, making it easier to deliver biodiverse habitats on these sites, delivering a win-win for nature and development;
• More land and financing options for SMEs: Homes England will release more of its land exclusively to SMEs, and a new National Housing Delivery Fund to be confirmed at the spending review will support long-term finance options, such as revolving credit facilities and lending alliances.
• A new pilot to unlock small sites for SMEs: the Small Sites Aggregator pilot in Bristol, Sheffield and the London Borough of Lewisham will unlock sites that would otherwise not have been developed, while attracting private investment to build new social rent homes. Building on a model developed by Lloyds Banking Group’s Social Housing Initiative, the Small Sites Aggregator will help tackle the housing shortage, address unviable small plots of land, and create local jobs supporting the government’s Plan for Change.

Deputy Prime Minister and Housing Secretary, Angela Rayner said:

“Smaller housebuilders must be the bedrock of our Plan for Change to build 1.5 million homes and fix the housing crisis we’ve inherited – and get working people on the housing ladder.

“For decades the status quo has failed them and it’s time to level the playing field.

“Today we’re taking urgent action to make the system simpler, fairer and more cost effective, so smaller housebuilders can play a crucial role in our journey to get Britain building.”

Full details are being set out today for the modernising of planning committees – ensuring elected councillors focus on the most significant proposals and larger developments rather than small-scale projects or niche technical details, while more faster decisions are made by expert trained planners.

Under these plans, once a development has been agreed in principle technical details won’t keep going back and forth to committees – accelerating housebuilding and saving council planning departments time and money.

Further support announced today for local builders includes:

• £100 million in SME Accelerator Loans to help smaller firms to grow and invest using part of the £700 million extension to the Home Building Fund announced in December.
• £10 million for councils to fund more specialists to speed up environmental assessments, getting spades in the ground faster.
• A £1.2 million PropTech Innovation Fund to support innovation in small site delivery, for example through use of new data tools.

It comes as the government unveiled its plans to train up to 120,000 new apprentices, including within construction – ensuring the industry has what it needs to get building.

The wide-ranging package for SMEs today builds on the government’s planning overhaul so far, with the new National Planning Policy Framework alone expected to drive housebuilding to its highest level in over 40 years and add £6.8 billion to the economy by 2030.

CEO of Lloyds Banking Group, Charlie Nunn said:

“We strongly welcome the government’s announcement today that it will pilot the Small Sites Aggregator in Bristol, Sheffield and Lewisham.

“Through the Social Housing Initiative, we’re proud to have helped ignite this innovation in housing development and finance – unlocking the small, brownfield sites in our communities which are lying empty yet have immense potential to provide good quality homes in our towns and cities.

“This exciting partnership between the public and private sectors will increase investment at pace into the new, genuinely affordable homes that are needed across the UK.”

Further information:

The government has published a new working paper on planning thresholds for small and medium housing sites.

The government has also launched a consultation reviewing Biodiversity Net Gain for minor, medium and brownfield development. This will be open for 8 weeks.

As part of the Planning and Infrastructure Bill, the government is also launching a new consultation on reforming planning committees and their role in the planning process. This consultation includes detailed proposals for a national scheme of delegation which would direct the majority of minor and technical applications to planning officers, freeing up committees to consider the most complex and controversial by categorising applications into Tier A or B. Tier A applications will go to officers, while Tier B applications have the ability to be considered by committees if necessary. It will be open for 8 weeks.

The Home Building Fund is administered by Homes England and is designed for SME housebuilders in England that are struggling to access loans from traditional lenders. Last year the government announced a £700 million extension to the Fund.

The new National Housing Delivery Fund will provide a range of funding tools to support SMEs, including support for revolving credit facilities. Further details will be announced at the Spending Review.

This government has also launched a £1.2m PropTech Innovation fund to inject innovation into small site delivery. Examples of potential solutions include the use of data and tools to provide certainty on future infrastructure capacity for SME housebuilders, meaning they can make the case for investment easier.

The government is making available a further £10m this financial year to help local planning authorities implement BNG, on top of £35m provided in previous years.

The government is also announcing today that it will consult on how we apply BNG for Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects (NSIP) to provide consistent regulations for developers – many of them who are already delivering biodiversity gains at scale.  Measures will be in place from May 2026.

The press release issued by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government on 25 May 2025.

Thousands of new homes promised to communities will be delivered faster, thanks to major changes to make sure developers deliver on their commitments and do not leave sites half-finished for years.

For the first time, under new government proposals announced today, housebuilders will have to commit to delivery timeframes before they get planning permission, making sure they play their part to accelerate housebuilding and tackle the housing crisis head on to deliver security for working people.

Under new rules, housebuilders will also have to submit annual reports showing their progress to councils to keep them on track. While most developers want to get on and build, those who consistently fail to build out consented sites and those who secure planning permissions simply to trade land speculatively could also face a ‘Delayed Homes Penalty’ worth thousands per unbuilt home, paid directly to local planning authorities.

Those deliberately sitting on vital land, without building the homes promised, could see their sites acquired by councils where there is a case in the public interest and stripped of future planning permissions, showing the government’s Plan for Change means business to deliver 1.5 million new homes.

Large housing sites, producing over 2,000 homes, can take at least 14 years to build, meaning working families and young people spend years deprived of homeownership or the ability to rent an affordable home.

But where more than 40% of homes are affordable, build-out is twice as fast. The government is therefore also testing a new requirement for large sites to be mixed tenure by default – helping to build more homes, including more affordable homes, faster.

Deputy Prime Minister and Housing Secretary, Angela Rayner said:

“This government has taken radical steps to overhaul the planning system to get Britain building again after years of inaction. In the name of delivering security for working people, we are backing the builders not the blockers. Now it’s time for developers to roll up their sleeves and play their part.

“We’re going even further to get the homes we need. No more sites with planning permission gathering dust for decades while a generation struggle to get on the housing ladder. Through our Plan for Change, we will deliver 1.5 million homes, fix the housing crisis and make the dream of home ownership a reality for working people.”

These decisive changes will support housebuilders to adapt to build more, and faster, by incentivising a model that works for developers and communities.

When major reforms to streamline the planning system were introduced last summer, the industry pledged to work with the government to build out as quickly as possible.

They now need to make good on that promise. The government continues to back the industry with the tools and support it needs—but in return, the Deputy Prime Minister’s message to housebuilders is they need to get on and build.

These reforms play a key part of the government’s Plan for Change to build 1.5 million homes this Parliament and deliver the biggest boost in social and affordable housebuilding in a generation.

Work is already underway through the new pro-growth National Planning Policy Framework, including mandatory housing targets for councils, which will drive UK housebuilding to its highest level in over 40 years and add £6.8 billion to the UK economy by 2029/30.

This is on top of seismic planning reforms through the landmark Planning and Infrastructure Bill to make it quicker and easier to build 1.5 million homes and boost the economy by up to £7.5 billion over the next decade.

Housing spokesperson for the Local Government Association, Cllr Adam Hug said:

“We are pleased the Government has acted on the LGA’s call for it to be easier for councils to penalise developers and acquire stalled housing sites or sites which have not been built out to timescales contractually agreed, ideally with the recovery being made at pre-planning gain prices.

“Local government shares ambitions to boost housebuilding and work hard with communities and developers to deliver new sites. Too often they are frustrated when developers do not build the homes they have approved. While intervention of this sort is a last resort, this move is crucial to help ensure meaningful build out of sites.

“The ability to apply a ’Delayed Homes Penalty’ is a power that councils have been asking for and means that local taxpayers are not missing out on lost income due to slow developers, but it must be set at a level that incentivises build out.

“Private developers have a key role in solving our chronic housing shortage but they cannot build the homes needed each year on their own. Ahead of the Spending Review, we have also set out the measures needed to empower councils to also be able to build more affordable, good quality homes quickly and at scale.”

Further information

The government is publishing a Planning Reform Working Paper entitled ‘Speeding Up Build Out’. This is alongside publishing a technical consultation on requiring transparency and accountability measures for build out rates on housing sites.

The technical consultation sets out proposals to require developers of 50 or more homes utilising powers introduced in the Levelling-up and Regeneration Act 2023 to provide:

• a build out statement with their planning application;
• a commencement notice when they commence their development; and
• an annual progress report tracking build out progress,

The Working Paper on ‘Speeding Up Build Out’ makes proposals for discussion with the sector. This includes:

• An overall strategy to speed up build out, drawing on the best available evidence of the causes of slow build out.
• A new proposal on a Delayed Homes Penalty, which would be a last resort measure available for local authorities where a developer has agreed a build out schedule in their planning permission but falls materially (10% or more) behind it, without a good reason. This will require primary legislation and only apply to future planning permissions.
• Confirmation the government will implement a new power introduced by the Levelling-up and Regeneration Act 2023 relating to the compulsory purchase of land which will remove risks to the use of compulsory purchase orders on stalled sites.
• Confirmation the government will implement the reforms to completion notices in the Levelling-up and Regeneration Act 2023 which local planning authorities can issue if development is unlikely to be completed within a reasonable period.

The press release issued by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government on 15 May 2025.

Changes will mean more money in the pockets of hard-working people when they reach retirement, delivering on government’s Plan for Change.

Street cleaners, school cooks and other dedicated public servants are set to benefit from a package of reforms to the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) that will end discrimination and lead to more money in people’s pockets.

Today’s measures build on the government’s wider Make Work Pay agenda that will back millions of workers by banning exploitative zero-hours contracts and ending ‘Fire and Rehire’ and ‘Fire and Replace’ practices.

Under measures announced today, the Local Government Pension Scheme for England and Wales will become the first public service pension scheme – of which three quarters are women – to make all maternity, shared parental and adoption leave automatically pensionable.

And issues with current regulations that saw survivors of members receiving smaller pensions on the basis of their relationship type will be fixed – ending historic inequalities.

These steps will directly benefit people working on the front line, serving school lunches, cleaning buildings, managing libraries and cleaning streets.

Loopholes that allow those guilty of serious offences to continue benefitting from the pension scheme will also be closed, as part of a crackdown to ensure public servants’ money does not go to those who do not deserve it.

Deputy Prime Minister, Angela Rayner said:

“These historic changes will give hard working street cleaners, librarians, school cooks and other public servants the security that they deserve.

“This is a critical step in ending years of discrimination, backing our dedicated public servants and helping to Make Work Pay.”

Minister of State for Local Government and English Devolution, Jim McMahon OBE MP, said:

“Having worked in local government for years, I know first-hand how much those who help keep the lights on across the country rely on the Local Government Pension Scheme.

“Through these reforms, we will make sure they are properly rewarded and able to enjoy their hard-earned retirement.”

Minister for Pensions Torsten Bell MP said:

“Today’s changes will ensure more public servants get the benefits and security they deserve.

“Our reforms to the Local Government Pension Scheme are bringing fairness and equality to workers, while boosting the potential of schemes to drive opportunity and growth in local communities.”

Latest estimates show 74 per cent of the scheme’s seven million members are women, and one of the most significant gaps in a woman’s pensionable service is often maternity leave.

Making the final 13 weeks’ leave automatically pensionable will be a significant improvement and help close the gender pensions gap women face.

Another issue the reforms aim to address is a disparity in survivor benefits – which are paid to the scheme’s members’ partners upon their death.

Due to issues with the existing regulations, there have been instances where those in same-sex marriages and civil partnerships receive a more generous pension entitlement than those in opposite-sex marriages and partnerships. But under proposed reforms, all discrimination on the basis of the sex of those affected will be removed.

In addition, an age cap currently in place that requires an LGPS member to have died before the age of 75 for their survivor to receive a lump sum payment will also be abolished.

The government is also taking steps to keep people in the scheme by enhancing data collection on why people opt out, in a bid to ensure as many people as possible benefit.

A consultation on the proposed reforms to LGPS members’ benefits is now open for 12 weeks, and those affected are encouraged to register their views.

Other measures the government is taking to make work pay include:

• Banning exploitative zero-hours contracts
• Ending ‘Fire and Rehire’ and ‘Fire and Replace’ practices
• Strengthening statutory sick pay

The press release issued by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government on 6 May 2025.

New analysis shows economy could be boosted by up to £7.5 billion over the next decade thanks to the pro-growth Planning and Infrastructure Bill.

Planning reforms to accelerate the delivery of new homes, roads and railways, and clean energy projects will boost the UK economy by billions of pounds, according to new analysis.

The Planning and Infrastructure Bill’s Impact Assessment, published today (Tuesday, May 6) has shown the government’s pro-growth changes to get Britain building could benefit the economy by up to £7.5 billion over the next 10 years.

A growing economy is at the heart of our Plan for Change to improve the lives of hard working people and by making it quicker and easier to build 1.5 million new homes, the reforms will turn the tide of the housing crisis and ensure critical infrastructure – including public transport links and clean energy projects that will protect billpayers – is sped up.

Lower costs for businesses, fewer delays and more certainty as a result of the Bill’s measures could lead to further investment and provide an additional boost to the economy.

Even this assessment is expected to be an underestimate of the true economic value the reforms will have in boosting development. The current assessment also does not account for recent amendments to the Bill to overhaul the pre-application stage for critical infrastructure, which government analysis suggests will add another £1 billion over this Parliament.

This huge boost to the economy is on top of the measures already implemented in the new pro-growth National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF). The Office for Budget Responsibility recently said the changes to NPPF alone will drive housebuilding to its highest level in over 40 years, and deliver an additional £6.8 billion by 2029/2030.

Deputy Prime Minister and Housing Secretary, Angela Rayner said:

“Getting Britain building will not only boost economic growth but ensure we deliver the homes and infrastructure working people deserve.

“This landmark pro-growth Bill will get spades in the ground and the foundations laid for a new generation of homes, as we deliver on our Plan for Change.”

The analysis has also been given a ‘green rating’ by the Regulatory Policy Committee, which means the assessment is considered robust and fit for purpose by the independent scrutiny body that considers them.

The Bill will help deliver on the Plan for Change by streamlining the building of 1.5 million homes and crucial infrastructure needed to make Britain a clean energy superpower and protect billpayers and reduce future energy shocks.

This will help put money back into the pockets of working people and support the government’s push to make at least 150 decisions on major infrastructure projects this Parliament, with 17 decided so far.

Further reforms tabled at Committee Stage, and not included in the impact assessment, will streamline the pre-application process for windfarms, new roads and other major infrastructure projects.

For more information:

• The government has now published its impact assessment for the Planning and Infrastructure Bill, which has now received a green rating from the Regulatory Policy Committee. This can be read in full here.
• The analysis includes higher, central and lower estimates for how much money the Bill could add to the economy over 10 years. The highest estimate was up to £7.5 billion, the central estimate was £3.2 billion and the lower estimate was £1.3 billion.
• This assessment does not include the amendments tabled at the Committee Stage, which the government predicts will further boost the economy by £1 billion over the course of this Parliament.
• It is expected to be an underestimate of the true impact as there will be ‘wider, un-monetised benefits such as the benefit to society from quicker delivery of housing and infrastructure, and the macroeconomic contribution of increased development supported by the Bill”.
• The Bill will deliver a range of measures to speed up the delivery of critical infrastructure and 1.5 million homes.
• The OBR analysis of the National Planning Policy Framework forecast 0.2% to be added to GDP by 2029/30– worth around £6.8bn in today’s prices.

The press release issued by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government on 24 April 2025.

Today (24 April), the government has announced the appointment of five members to the Building Control Independent Panel.

This delivers on a Grenfell Tower Inquiry recommendation, accepted by the government, to set up a panel to carry out a review of whether to change the way in which building control is delivered in England.

The panel will be chaired by Dame Judith Hackitt, whose leadership of the Independent Review of Building Regulations and Fire Safety has already helped to shape vital reforms across the sector. An engineer by profession, Dame Judith currently serves as an adviser on building standards to both the UK and Australian Governments and is a member of the International Building Quality Council (IBQC).  She will be joined by four experts with extensive experience in the regulation and use of the building control sector: Elaine Bailey, Ken Rivers, Rt Hon Nick Raynsford and Dr David Snowball.

The panel members’ collective expertise will support a thorough and independent review of the current building control model, including on the Inquiry’s recommendations to consider the issue of commercial incentives from the system and exploring alternative options and approaches. The panel is expected to provide a report to the government this autumn.

Minister for Building Safety, Alex Norris MP, said:

“The appointment of this independent panel is a significant step in our response to the Grenfell Tower Inquiry. We need a building control system that puts safety first and supports our plans to accelerate remediation. It must also help to deliver 1.5 million safe, high-quality homes over this Parliament, and be equipped to meet the demands of a modern construction sector.

“Their work will play a vital role in shaping a safer, more accountable building industry, and I look forward to receiving the panel’s recommendations as they take this important work forward.”

The Chair for the Building Control Independent Panel, Dame Judith Hackitt said:

“The panel stands ready to get to work on this important review.  We will work at speed but we come at this issue with an open mind and a determination to further raise standards”.

Background on the Building Control system

The building control system is there primarily to oversee key safety standards set in legislation and ensure that buildings are checked and safe in areas such as fire and structural safety. Following concerns raised by the Grenfell Tower Inquiry, especially around conflicts of interest in the system, a new panel has been appointed to look at whether changes are required.

Notes to Editors

• The establishment of the panel was announced in the Government’s response to the Grenfell Tower Inquiry on February 26, 2025.
• The Grenfell Tower Inquiry recommended that the Government establish an independent panel to consider whether to remove commercial interest from building control and whether to move to a national authority decision model.
• The panel’s role is advisory and independent.  The aim is a report to Government in the autumn with a response before the end of the year.
• Further updates, including the panel’s Terms of Reference, will be published on GOV.UK shortly.

Panel members:

Elaine Bailey

Elaine Bailey is a member of the Industry Safety Steering Group and was formerly the CEO of Hyde Housing (2014-2019). Elaine holds several non-executive directorships, including at MJ Gleeson plc, a house builder operating in the North and Midlands; McCarthy&Stone Shared Ownership (MCSSO), a For Profit Registered Provider of older persons’ housing with a strategic partnership with Homes England; and Andium Housing, Jersey’s largest provider of sub-market value homes for rent and purchase.

Ken Rivers

Ken is a non-executive director at the HSE, alongside his role as a member of the Industrial Safety Steering Group. Prior to that he chaired the Control of Major Accident Hazards Regulations Strategic Forum and led the tripartite group since its inception, bringing industry and regulators together to identify and address important matters of managing major hazard in the UK. He spent 38 years of his career working at Shell, through various different positions and was President of the Institution of Chemical Engineers.

Rt Hon Nick Raynsford MP

Nick Raynsford was a Labour MP for 24 years. During this time he held positions as Minister of State for Housing and Planning, Minister for Construction, Minister for London and Minister of State for Local and Regional Government. The latter included responsibility for the Fire and Rescue Service. Since then he has had a number of advisory and non-executive roles in the private, voluntary and public sectors. This included chairing CICAIR (CIC Approved Inspectors Register), the organisation responsible until April 2024 for registering private sector Building Control bodies. Nick is a member of the New Towns Taskforce, working with MHCLG.

Dr. David Snowball

David spent his working career in the Health and Safety Executive, joining as a Factory Inspector in 1984 and retiring 35 years later. He held senior posts in operational divisions overseeing HSE intervention and enforcement and was also responsible, as Director Regulation, for the quality of operational work. He spent 15 months as Acting Chief Executive before his retirement. He now sits on the Industry Safety Steering Group alongside Dame Judith and is a non-executive director at the Gangmaster and Labour Abuse Authority (Feb 2022- present).

The press release issued by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government on 23 April 2025.

Clean energy projects, reservoirs, railway lines, and other major infrastructure to be built faster, under changes to the Planning and Infrastructure Bill.

Clean energy projects, public transport links, and other major infrastructure will on average be delivered at least a year faster, as the government accelerates planning reforms to unleash growth and restore Britain’s rightful place as a world leader in building.

Burdensome statutory consultation requirements unique to major infrastructure projects will be scrapped, through amendments to the pro-growth Planning and Infrastructure Bill, cutting down the average two-year statutory pre-consultation period by half and paving the way for new roads, railways, and windfarms that will bolster the country’s connectivity and energy security.

Developers currently spend significant time and money on long, technical documents resulting in communities feeling fatigued and confused, which is a direct result of overly complex planning rules that are leaving working people deprived of the things their areas need to thrive. It also disincentivises developers making improvements to projects for fear of having to re-consult, even if in the community’s best interest.

Recognising community voices remain vital, the government will bring this process in line with planning applications for major housing schemes, and set out new statutory guidance to promote meaningful local engagement without repeating these flaws. This will allow changes to be made dynamically based on community feedback, reducing delays and potentially saving over £1 billion for industry and taxpayers this Parliament. These changes will help ensure Britain is open for business, attracting billions of pounds of new private investment.

This will go even further in streamlining infrastructure delivery through the government’s landmark Planning and Infrastructure Bill, as part of the Plan for Change to power and heat homes with clean energy, raise living standards, create well-paying jobs, and put more money into the pockets of working people and families. The reforms will also boost the government’s efforts to build 1.5 million homes by making it easier to deliver the roads, reservoirs and energy generation needed so we can restore the dream of homeownership to families across the country.

Deputy Prime Minister and Housing Secretary Angela Rayner said:

“Critical national infrastructure is key to Britain’s future and security – so we can’t afford to have projects held up by tiresome requirements and uncertainty, caused by a system that is not working for communities or developers and holding back our true potential.

“We are strengthening the Planning and Infrastructure Bill to make sure we can lead the world again with new roads, railways, and energy infrastructure as part of the Plan for Change, whilst ensuring local people still have a say in our journey to get Britain building.”

Alongside statutory guidance for developers on applications, the Planning Inspectorate will maintain high standards for accepting projects – informed by community engagement. Local authorities will also be made aware of proposed applications so that they can continue to play an important role informing and advising on developments, as well as advocating for local interests.

As a result, local people can still object and share their views but in a more effective way, with developers given the flexibility to adapt their schemes as needed without restarting the process: reducing delays and costs for projects, including datacentres, reservoirs, and solar farms, while ensuring local people’s voices are heard.

Meanwhile the government is already taking action – consenting more nationally significant solar projects since the start of the Parliament compared to the whole of the previous one, including the Mallard Pass Solar Project in Lincolnshire, and making the largest ever investment in offshore wind, as we deliver our Plan for Change milestone of 150 decisions on major infrastructure projects by the end of the Parliament.

Examples of delays under current system:

• Fens Reservoir: Over 1,000 days in pre-application due to a number of issues including around consultation requirements, expected submission in December 2026, supplying 250,000 homes with water.
• National Grid – Bramford to Twinstead: 717 days in pre-application for 29km of overhead lines and underground cables.
• Hinkley Point C: Three years in pre-application consultation; Sizewell C spent around seven-and-a-half years at this stage.

Wider reforms in the Bill will streamline and speed up planning decisions, remove blockers to major infrastructure and housing delivery, and support environmental goals through the new Nature Restoration Fund to achieve win-win outcomes for both nature and the economy.

These changes build on the recent OBR forecast confirming the government’s planning overhaul, through an updated National Planning Policy Framework, will drive UK housebuilding to its highest level in over 40 years and boost the economy by £6.8 billion by 2029/30.

Notes to editors:

Carl Trowell, President of Strategic Infrastructure, National Grid, said:

“Consulting with communities and stakeholders will always be a fundamental part of the way we at National Grid develop and shape our projects. We welcome the Government’s proposal today which will ensure that consultation and engagement can be more effective and targeted. This will accelerate the path to delivering critical infrastructure while continuing to ensure the views of local communities are heard.”

Benj Sykes, UK Country Manager, Ørsted said:

“Ørsted welcomes the ongoing work of the Government to reform the planning system, including these changes to the Planning and Infrastructure Bill. Engaging and working with communities and other stakeholders in the pre-application stage has always been central to our work developing new energy projects and will remain so; the changes being introduced will allow everyone involved in these engagements to focus on the issues that matter to stakeholders and local communities, and to our developments.”

James Robottom, Head of Policy, Renewable UK said:

“This announcement represents a significant step forward for the renewable energy industry, as it will enable us to speed up the delivery of vital infrastructure projects to boost the UK’s energy security, grow the economy and help us to reach the Government’s target of clean power by 2030.  The industry has a long track record of engaging early and closely with local communities and a wide range of environmental stakeholders, and this will continue as we want to carry on building projects with local support by giving communities a clear voice in the decision-making process. We look forward to feeding into the new guidance that will enable us to spend more time engaging with key stakeholders on the most important issues for each new project on a case by case basis and lead to even higher quality engagement and positive outcomes for nature.”

Sam Richards, CEO of pro-growth campaign group Britain Remade, said:

“Today’s bold reforms to cut red tape and get vital infrastructure delivered faster are a big step toward unlocking clean energy, better transport, and the homes Britain desperately needs. Too often consultation is a long and expensive box ticking exercise. By slashing delays and encouraging real community engagement, the government is backing growth, investment, and the kind of national renewal we all want to see.”

Adam Berman, Director of Policy and Advocacy, Energy UK said:

“Energy UK is fully behind the Government’s mission to speed up the planning system, unlocking the investment in clean energy we need to secure our future power needs. More targeted engagement with statutory consultees will result in faster and more appropriate applications, allowing relevant public bodies to focus on planning applications that matter most to them.”

Richard Greer, Fellow, Climate & Sustainability Services, Arup:

“Building on the Planning and Infrastructure Bill with further legislative improvements will be essential to delivering the Government’s ten-year Infrastructure Strategy and its pipeline of projects across transport, energy, water, and the new economy sector (such as data centres).  A step-change in infrastructure delivery requires a comprehensive package of reforms that streamlines the entire project lifecycle.”

John Foster, Chief Policy and Campaigns Officer, Confederation of British Industry said:

“Access to energy, water, and transport connectivity remain major barriers to growth which if left untouched will hinder the government’s commitment to deliver the ambitious new homes and major infrastructure targets before the end of this parliament.

“By reducing the excess bureaucracy currently experienced by developers along with cutting down the decision-making time for infrastructure projects, the government is forging ahead with much needed reform to transform the planning system from an investment blocker into an enabler of growth.”

Kate DaSilva, Group General Counsel, Cornish Lithium Plc. said:

“The changes in the Planning and Infrastructure Bill will help the UK build the nationally significant projects we desperately need, while ensuring that voices within local communities are still heard. At Cornish Lithium we are proud of putting the local community and environment first – listening to what is needed, answering questions and delivering for the communities near our projects. With the Government’s proposed changes Cornish Lithium will be able to maintain our approach, accelerate project delivery, build a domestic source of critical minerals, create jobs and grow the economy for Cornwall, the south west and the whole country.”

The press release issued by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government on 9 April 2025.

• Road to recovery outlined in new commitments for local audit reform to streamline and fix the fragmented and broken system
• Reform will ensure local authorities get their books in order to restore transparency, provide better value for taxpayers and create effective public early warning system
• And up to £49 million in funding announced to support local authorities in clearing the backlog as part of the Plan for Change

New reforms to repair the ‘broken’ local audit system will boost taxpayers’ confidence  in council spending and streamline the sector so it’s fit-for-purpose, legal and decent.

Today, 16 commitments have been set out to achieve this, including simplifying financial reporting requirements and increasing capacity to avoid reliance on a small number of auditors.

The reforms will be backed by up to £49 million of support to help councils clear their backlogs and cover the additional cost of restoring audit assurance. Releasing funds to councils will be reliant on compliance with statutory backstops and linked to the publication of audited accounts and audit fees being paid.

In addition, a further £15m of grant was paid to local bodies in March 2025 as part of an existing package to help meet the wider costs of meeting audit requirements and fees.

Minister of State for Local Government and English Devolution, Jim McMahon OBE said:

We inherited a broken local audit system, not fit for purpose, inefficient, fragmented and with a massive backlog.

Taxpayers’ expect and deserve to have confidence in the way their money is being spent locally.  A functioning local audit system is the bedrock of local transparency and accountability so we are fixing the foundations of local government as part of our Plan for Change.

We are working in lock-step with local bodies to clear the backlog and move towards a simplified streamlined system.

The 16 new measures follow an open consultation on the local audit strategy, which attracted hundreds of responses.

The measures build on an existing commitment to set up the Local Audit Office as an independent and unified body, which will stop fragmentation in the system by co-ordinating functions spread across different organisations including the Public Sector Audit Appointments Ltd, the National Audit Office and the Financial Reporting Council.

These reforms will be crucial to fixing the foundations and bringing long-term stability to local government as committed in the Plan for Change.

Further information:

• Up to £49 million in funding for clearing the local audit backlog will be paid in two stages during 2025/26,  in the form of a non-ring-fenced grant. Allocations will be based on the size of bodies’ audit fees and the number of modified audit opinions received.   Allocations will be reviewed before the second stage of payments in 2025/26 to take into account revised cost estimates.
• Funding of £15 million for 2024/25 was paid on 31 March  to eligible local government bodies towards the rise in audit fee expenditure. This includes allocations to 537 eligible bodies allocated as a proportion of Public Sector Audit Appointment fee scales.
• The full government response to the local audit reform strategy consultation can be found on Gov.uk here.
• Following the 13 December 2024 backstop, the system has taken a significant step forward. The vast majority of bodies (approximately 95%) published audited accounts for all years up to and including financial year 2022/23.
• While the government has been clear the broken system requires fundamental long-term fixes that cannot happen overnight, decisive and immediate action has already begun. In July, we announced a series of backstop dates to clear the backlog of hundreds of missing and overdue accounts which resulted in 95% of audited accounts being published.

The press release issued by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government on 11 March 2025.

Homes and key infrastructure will be built faster under Planning and Infrastructure Bill

Homes and key infrastructure that hundreds of thousands of hard-working people and families need will be built quicker thanks to transformative reforms to get Britain building, tackle blockers and unleash billions in economic growth.

The Planning and Infrastructure Bill, which will be introduced to Parliament today (11 March), will see significant measures introduced to speed up planning decisions to boost housebuilding and remove unnecessary blockers and challenges to the delivery of vital developments like roads, railway lines and windfarms. This will boost economic growth, connectivity and energy security whilst also delivering for the environment.

By ensuring shovels can be put in the ground more quickly and projects are freed from unnecessary bureaucracy, these measures will help deliver a building boom that will deliver a major boost to the economy worth billions of pounds, and create tens of thousands more jobs as houses and infrastructure are built. It will make Britain a more attractive prospect for investment and development with a planning process that works for the builders, not blockers.

This Bill comes alongside wider planning reforms including the new National Planning Policy Framework and is at the heart of our Plan for Change missions to deliver the 1.5 million homes this country needs alongside 150 major projects, ensure Britain can become a clean energy superpower through building the necessary infrastructure, and help to raise living standards by ensuring working people have more money in their pocket.

People living near new electricity transmission infrastructure will also receive up to £2,500 over ten years off their energy bills, ensuring those hosting vital infrastructure benefit from supporting this nationally critical mission.

Deputy Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Housing, Angela Rayner said:

We’re creating the biggest building boom in a generation – as a major step forward in getting Britain building again and unleashing economic growth in every corner of the country, by lifting the bureaucratic burden which has been holding back developments for too long.

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.

It will help us to deliver the 1.5 million homes we have committed to so we can tackle the housing crisis we have inherited head on – not only for people desperate to buy a home, but for the families and young children stuck in temporary accommodation and in need of a safe, secure roof over their heads.

These reforms are at the heart of our Plan for Change, ensuring we are backing the builders, taking on the blockers, and delivering the homes and infrastructure this country so badly needs.

KEY MEASURES

Planning Committees

Housebuilding will be backed by streamlining planning decisions through the introduction of a national scheme of delegation that will set out which types of applications should be determined by officers and which should go to committee, have controls over the size of planning committees to ensure good debate is encouraged with large and unwieldy committees banned, and mandatory training for planning committee members. Councils will also be empowered to set their own planning fees to allow them to cover their costs – with the stretched system currently running at a deficit of £362 million in the recent year. This money will be reinvested back into the system to speed it up.

Nature Restoration Fund

A Nature Restoration Fund will be established to ensure there is a win-win for both the economy and nature by ensuring builders can meet their environmental obligations faster and at a greater scale by pooling contributions to fund larger environmental interventions. These changes will remove time intensive and costly processes, with payments into the fund allowing building to proceed while wider action is taken to secure the environmental improvements we need.

Compulsory Purchase Reform

Land needed to drive forward housing or major developments could also be bought more efficiently thanks to reforms to boost economic growth and drive forward local regeneration efforts. The compulsory purchase process – which allows land to be acquired for projects that are in the public interest – will be improved to ensure important developments delivering public benefits can progress. The reforms will ensure compensation paid to landowners is not excessive and the process of using directions to remove ‘hope value’ – the value attributed to the prospect of planning permission being granted for alternative development – where justified in the public interest is sped-up. Inspectors, councils or mayors where there are no objections, will take decisions instead of the Secretary of State.

Development Corporations

Development Corporations will be strengthened to make it easier to deliver large-scale development – like the government’s new towns – and build 1.5 million homes alongside the required infrastructure. They were used in the past to deliver the post-war new towns and play a vital role when the risk or scale of a development is too great for the private sector. Their enhanced powers will help deliver the vision for the next generation of new towns – a new programme of well-designed, beautiful communities with affordable housing, GP surgeries, schools and public transport where people will want to live.

Strategic Planning

The Bill will introduce a system of ‘strategic planning’ across England known as spatial development strategies, which will help to boost growth by looking across multiple local planning authorities for the most sustainable areas to build and ensuring there is a clear join-up between development needs and infrastructure requirements. These plans will be produced by mayors, or by local authorities in some cases, and will ensure the level of building across the country meets the country’s needs.

National Significant Infrastructure Projects (NSIP)

The Bill will ensure a faster NSIP regime that delivers infrastructure projects faster. It will make sure the consultation requirements for projects – such as windfarms, roads or railway lines – are streamlined, and ensure the national policies against which infrastructure applications are assessed are updated at least every five years so the government’s priorities are clear. Other changes will be made to the Highways Act and the Transport and Works Act to reduce bureaucracy so transport projects can progress quicker.

The government will further overhaul the process by which government decisions on major infrastructure projects can be challenged. Meritless cases will only have one – rather than three – attempts at legal challenge. Data shows that over half – 58% – of all decisions on major infrastructure were taken to court, including windfarms in East Anglia which was delayed by over two years as a result of unsuccessful challenges.

Clean Energy

Further changes will make sure approved clean energy projects that help achieve clean power by 2030, including wind and solar power, are prioritised for grid connections. Some projects currently face waits of over 10 years. A ‘first ready, first connected’ system will replace the flawed ‘first come, first served’ approach to prioritise projects needed to deliver clean power, unlocking growth with £200 billion of investment and protecting households from the rollercoaster of fossil fuel markets, while reforming the grid queue will accelerate connections for industrial sites and data centres.

Around twice as much new transmission network infrastructure will be needed by 2030 as has been built in the past decade and Britain’s electricity grid needs a 21st century overhaul to connect the right power in the right places.

Bill Discounts

People living within 500m of new pylons across Great Britain will get money off their electricity bills up to £2,500 over 10 years, under these plans. Alongside money off bills, separate new guidance will set out how developers should ensure communities hosting transmission infrastructure can benefit, by funding projects like sports clubs, educational programmes, or leisure facilities.   The new community funds guidance means communities could get £200,000 worth of funding per km of overhead electricity cable in their area, and £530,000 per substation.

This would mean an upcoming project like SSEN Transmission’s power line between Tealing and Aberdeenshire could see local communities benefitting from funding worth over £23 million. Developers will closely consult with eligible communities on the funds and how best to spend them, to ensure a fair and consistent approach across Great Britain.

Mark Reynolds, Executive Chair of Mace Group and Co-Chair of the Construction Leadership Council, said:

For too long the UK’s planning systems have inhibited growth, with layer upon layer of checks and balances stifling productivity, confidence, investment and jobs.

These proposed changes show this government is listening to industry and taking reform seriously; recognising that new homes and infrastructure are necessary to inject life into the economy.

Our construction industry is ready to meet the challenge, and the measures highlight how mindful growth can support communities and our net-zero ambitions.

Neil Jefferson, Chief Executive of the Home Builders Federation, said:

The swift moves to address the failings in the planning system are a very welcome and positive step towards increasing housing supply. Removing blockages, speeding up the decision-making process and ensuring local planning departments have the capacity to process applications effectively will be essential to getting more sites up and running. If the other constraints currently preventing house builders delivering more homes can be tackled, the changes made to planning will really allow output to accelerate.

Brian Berry, Chief Executive of the Federation of Master Builders, said:

The new Planning and Infrastructure Bill is a crucial first step in getting Britain building again. In the 1980’s around 40% of new homes were built by SMEs, yet today that figure is around 10%. Small builders across the UK stand ready to play their part in delivering the homes we need, but time and time again we’ve seen barriers keeping them out of the market.

We know from research carried out by the FMB that around three quarters of small builders view the planning system as the number one issue holding back the delivery of new homes, while lack of viable and available land are also major challenges. Supporting small builders through the planning system and reducing unnecessary bureaucracy will be key to opening up small sites, and today’s announcement will be welcomed by many across the industry.

Kate Henderson, Chief Executive of the National Housing Federation, said:

At a time when the housing crisis continues to blight lives across the country, it’s welcome to see the introduction of this bill. With more than 160,000 children in temporary accommodation, it’s never been more urgent to build the social homes we need.

Planning reform is an essential part of solving the housing crisis, and a return to strategic planning is welcome. A focus on certainty and enabling local areas to work together to plan for the homes, jobs and infrastructure needed in communities will ensure every area benefits from growth. Measures to reform compulsory purchase orders in the bill are also welcome, and will support the delivery of affordable housing and other local infrastructure such as GPs and schools.

David Thomas, Chief Executive of Barratt Redrow, said:

It has been clear from day one that government is serious about tackling the housing crisis, and it continues to take strong action to unlock stalled projects and reshape the planning system to deliver the high-quality homes and sustainable places the country needs.

We share government’s ambition to build more homes, to create good quality jobs and to drive economic growth. We look forward to supporting them on this mission and will respond positively to the bold reforms set out in the Planning and Infrastructure Bill.

Other measures included in the Bill:

• Streamlining the process to install EV charging infrastructure to help meet our net-zero ambitions
• A new scheme to unlock billions of pounds of investment in long duration electricity storage (LDES) to store renewable power and deliver the first major projects in four decades.
• Changes to the outdated planning rules for electricity infrastructure in Scotland that will streamline the consent process to enable decisions to be made faster.
• An extension to the generator commissioning period from 18 to 27 months to reduce the number of offshore wind farms requiring exemptions when applying for licences to connect to onshore cables and substations.
• Allowing forestry authorities in England and Wales, including the Forestry Commission, to bring forward development proposals, on the land they manage, relating to the generation of electricity from renewable sources– and to sell resulting electricity.

The Bill builds on work the government has already carried out to get Britain building including overhauling the National Planning Policy Framework, including new and higher mandatory housebuilding targets for councils, a comprehensive modernisation of the Green Belt, and far greater support for growth-supporting development such as labs and datacentres.

The press release issued by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government on 10 March 2025.

The government has confirmed further reforms to overhaul the planning system and put growth at the heart of the statutory consultee system.

Further reforms to overhaul the planning system have been set out today [Monday 10 March] putting growth at the heart of the statutory consultee system and helping deliver the government’s Plan for Change milestone of delivering 1.5 million new homes.

Under new plans organisations such as Sport England, Theatres Trust and The Gardens Trust will no longer be required to input on planning decisions. The scope of other statutory consultees will be narrowed to focus on heritage, safety and environmental protection, speeding up the building process and preventing delays to homes being built.

“Statutory consultees” are official stakeholders legally required to provide advice on planning decisions to ensure developments can consider essential environmental, transport, heritage and safety elements. They play an important role in the planning system, but councils and developers report that the system is not working effectively.

The changes are part of the government’s ongoing stream of work to break down barriers to growth and get Britain building. They come ahead of the government’s flagship Planning and Infrastructure Bill, which will be introduced this week and will support the government’s Plan for Change commitment to build 1.5 million homes.

Deputy Prime Minister and Housing Secretary Angela Rayner said:

“We’ve put growth at the heart of our plans as a government, with our Plan for Change milestone to secure 1.5 million homes and unleash Britain’s potential to build.

“We need to reform the system to ensure it is sensible and balanced, and does not create unintended delays – putting a hold on people’s lives and harming our efforts to build the homes people desperately need.

“New developments must still meet our high expectations to create the homes, facilities and infrastructure that communities need.”

The list of statutory consultees has also grown haphazardly over time and now includes over 25 organisations. Problems expressed include statutory consultees:

• failing to engage proactively;
• taking too long to provide their advice;
• re-opening issues that have already been dealt with in local plans;
• submitting automatic holding objections which are then withdrawn at a late stage; and
• submitting advice that seeks gold-plated outcomes, going beyond what is necessary to make development acceptable in planning terms.

Problems with the operation of the system cause uncertainty, extensive delays, and increased costs. This is due to the time taken to provide advice and the complexities sometimes causing the provision of over extensive or unnecessary advice.

In the past three years over 300 applications were forced to be escalated for consideration by the Secretary of State because of disagreements from consultees.

In broader examples given to ministers, a government department reported a two-year delay to a simple planning application on the government estate because of inability to agree a position with a statutory consultee.

In Bradford, a development to create 140 new homes next to a cricket club was significantly delayed because the application was thought to have not adequately considered the speed of cricket balls.

While noting the broader role that statutory consultees play within the planning system in facilitating high quality development, the government is reforming the system to ensure it operates in a sensible, systematic way, and does not create unnecessary blockers.

The government recognises the importance of these organisations and their value to local communities. The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) will continue to apply and these organisations will continue to engage with the planning system through development of local and strategic plans, and through the publication of guidance and advice.

Proposed changes will put support for growth at the heart of the statutory consultee process by;

• Consulting on reducing the number of organisations, including the impact of removing Sport England, the Theatres Trust and The Gardens Trust.
• Reviewing the scope of all statutory consultees, to reduce the type and number of applications on which they must be consulted – and making much better use of standing guidance in place of case-by-case responses.
• Clarifying that local authorities should only be consulting statutory consultees where necessary to do so, and decisions should not be delayed beyond the 21 day statutory deadline unless a decision cannot otherwise be reached or advice may enable an approval rather than a refusal.
• Instituting a new performance framework, in which the Chief Executives of key statutory consultees report on their performance directly to Treasury and MHCLG Ministers.

This follows the decision by the Deputy Prime Minister and the Chancellor earlier this year pausing the formation of new statutory consultees and a commitment to reviewing the existing arrangements.

The NPPF is clear that existing open spaces, sports, recreational buildings and land, including playing fields, should not be built on unless an assessment has shown the space to be surplus to requirements or it will be replaced by equivalent or better provision.  These strong policy protections will remain firmly in place, with the government expecting them to be taken into account in planning decisions.

The government will consult this Spring on the impacts of removing a limited number of statutory consultees and narrowing the scope of others so they can focus on the most important applications.

This comes ahead of the introduction of the government’s Planning and Infrastructure Bill this week, which will bring forward significant measures introduced to speed up planning decisions to boost housebuilding and remove unnecessary blockers and challenges to the delivery of vital developments like roads, railway lines and windfarms.

The press release issued by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government on 6 March 2025.

More vacant shops and other commercial premises will be transformed as councils use new powers to revitalise high streets across the country.

• Eight more councils to breathe life back into high streets by signing up to tackle scourge of vacant shops
• High Street Rental Auctions let councils auction off leases for empty commercial properties
• Bringing businesses back to high streets and driving growth across country as part of Plan for Change milestone to kickstart local economic growth

More vacant shops and other commercial premises will be transformed as councils use new powers to revitalise high streets across the country, delivering on the government’s Plan for Change growth mission and supporting local communities.

Eight more local authorities have committed to implement High Street Rental Auction (HSRA) powers as the latest wave of Early Adopters, setting an example for other councils.

These are Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council, Broxtowe Borough Council, Camden London Borough Council, Hillingdon London Borough Council, Lichfield District Council, North Northamptonshire Council, North Somerset Council and Westminster City Council.

High Street Rental Auctions, introduced at the end of last year, give local councils the power to auction off leases for commercial properties that have been empty for long periods, helping bring business back to the high street and drive growth across the country.

This brings the total number of councils trailing the scheme to 11 – with Bassetlaw, Darlington and Mansfield councils becoming Early Adopters in November.

Minister of State for Local Growth and Building Safety Alex Norris said:

“We’re bringing shops and shoppers back to the high street, boosting trade, creating jobs, supporting our communities and driving local growth through our game changing High Street Rental Auction rollout.

“I am delighted that eight more councils have become Early Adopters of these new powers, acting as leading lights for other local authorities.

“We are committed to growing the economy and improving opportunities for people across the country through our Plan for Change, and thriving high streets have a key role to play.”

Small Business Minister Gareth Thomas said:

“We promised to lift the shutters on the country’s high streets and that’s exactly what’s happening across these local authorities today.

“We know that small businesses are the drivers of our economy, which is why we’re working hard to boost exports and tackle late payments, and HRSAs are another crucial tool to support SMEs, increase jobs and go for growth.”

HSRAs allow councils to put properties up for auction that have been empty for more than 365 days in a 24-month period, for a one-to-five year lease, reinvigorating town centres and giving local businesses the backing they need to thrive.

Over £1 million of funding has been provided to support the rollout of HSRAs and the government looks forward to more councils delivering with the powers.

It forms part of the government’s wider commitment to support high streets and small businesses, in line with its work to drive economic growth in all parts of the country and break down barriers to opportunity.

Supporting small businesses is at the heart of this government’s growth mission, and plans are underway to unleash the potential of small businesses all around the country. A new  Small Business Strategy will be published later this year.