The Planning and Infrastructure Act has been given Royal Assent, with promises from the Ministry of Housing that it will “remove blockages and delays in the planning system, accelerating the construction of tens of thousands of new homes across every region.”
The Government added that alongside freeing up infrastructure projects, the Act “secures a win-win for the environment and the economy.”
The Ministry of Housing said the Act was “a crucial pillar of the government’s growth mission,” and would “create more opportunities for working people to step onto the housing ladder, unlock more well-paying jobs…and protect pay packets from the rollercoaster of energy shocks.”
However, the Act itself required further secondary legislation to come into effect, the Government confirmed, but a timeline for this was not clear. “In the coming weeks and months, ministers will set out when the remaining reforms in the legislation will come into effect as the government steps up to the plate to go further and faster in getting Britain building.”
Secretary of State Housing Steve Reed commented that 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.”
However he said the Planning and Infrastructure Act will tear down barriers to growth, unshackling projects stuck in planning limbo.”
CEO of Vistry, Greg Fitzgerald called it a “significant step forward in streamlining planning processes, supporting development, and speeding up the delivery of critical infrastructure.”
John Foster, chief policy officer at the CBI said: “It is a major milestone in breaking the planning logjam that has held back growth for too long. Businesses have long called for a planning system that is faster, more predictable and strategic, and this legislation is a step forward in achieving that.”