New planning law to fast-track housing and infrastructure delivery

The UK government’s wide-ranging Planning and Infrastructure Act has received Royal Assent, introducing legal reforms designed to speed up the delivery of housing, GP surgeries, schools, and other critical infrastructure. The legislation is seen as a pivotal step in breaking long-standing planning bottlenecks and accelerating the pace of development across the country.

Key measures in the Act include provisions to simplify land acquisition, modernise local planning committees, and enhance the role of development corporations to fast-track large-scale schemes. It also includes changes to enable faster planning approval for local amenities, such as medical facilities, and offers new powers to support the creation of new towns and affordable homes.

Housing Secretary Steve Reed described the legislation as removing “barriers to growth” and enabling the construction of 1.5 million homes. “This means getting spades in the ground faster and unshackling projects stuck in planning limbo,” he said.

The Act also introduces a new Nature Restoration Fund, allowing developers to progress housing and infrastructure schemes more quickly, with environmental enhancements managed centrally by Natural England. Legal challenges to major infrastructure projects deemed ‘without merit’ will be limited to a single attempt, aimed at reducing delays caused by judicial reviews.

Planning authorities will be empowered to focus resources on significant schemes, while new spatial development strategies will promote regional coordination between neighbouring councils. Alongside this, powers to adjust planning fees aim to give councils the financial resources needed to make timely decisions.

The law is part of the government’s broader ambition to unlock £7.5 billion in economic output over the next decade and streamline approvals for projects such as new homes, road links, GP surgeries, and schools.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves said the government is committed to “leave no stone unturned to get spades in the ground,” describing the Act as ending “years of dither and delay.”

Industry groups including the National Housing Federation, Home Builders Federation and leading housebuilders such as Barratt Redrow and Vistry have welcomed the Act’s potential to unlock housing delivery and infrastructure investment, but have called for rapid implementation to translate legislative change into progress on the ground.

Further details on implementation timelines for remaining reforms are expected in the coming months.