Legislation includes various measures to speed up building
The planning and infrastructure bill has received royal assent.
The legislation is a central part of the Labour government’s agenda for speeding up delivery of housebuilding and infrastructure.
Key changes in the act include a new nature restoration fund which is intended to simplify developer contributions towards nature protection.
The act also limits the number of attempts at legal challenge against government decisions on major infrastructure projects and introduces changes to planning committees to focus on larger schemes.
Development corporations will also get extra powers to speed up large-scale delivery.
“Britain’s growth has been held back by a sluggish planning system, slamming the brakes on building and standing in the way of fixing the housing crisis for good,” said housing secretary Steve Reed.
“Today that changes. Our landmark Planning and Infrastructure Act will tear down barriers to growth, and this means getting spades in the ground faster, unshackling projects stuck in planning limbo and crucially unlocking a win-win for the environment and the economy.”
Key measures at a glance
A Nature Restoration Fund, intended to allow developers to begin schemes more quickly, will see Natural England putting in place measures at scale to restore natural habitats and wildlife.
Limiting the number of attempts at legal challenge against government decisions on major infrastructure projects, with only one attempt rather than three for cases deemed by the court as totally without merit.
Reforming planning committees to focus on the most significant developments rather than smaller projects, speeding up local decisions on new homes.
Extra powers for development corporations to speed up delivery of large-scale projects, including the next generation of new towns.
Simplifying the approval process for new EV chargers on public roads in an effort to save time and costs.
Enabling electricity bill discounts of up to £2,500 over 10 years for communities hosting new pylons and transmission infrastructure.
Making it easier to acquire land for new homes, GP surgeries, and schools.
Today also saw the Employment Rights Act receive Royal Assent. The legislation includes day one access to statutory sick pay and paternity leave, increased parental and bereavement leave, a ban on “exploitative” zero-hours contracts, stronger duties on employers to prevent sexual harassment, and extra protections for whistleblowers.
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