Government reforms aim to expedite infrastructure projects

Set to come into effect later in July, these changes under the Planning and Infrastructure Act are designed to cut up to 12 months from the planning process for projects including wind farms, nuclear plants, reservoirs, and new transport links. One of the primary alterations includes scrapping mandatory pre-application consultation requirements for nationally significant infrastructure projects. In their place, developers will benefit from earlier technical support from the Planning Inspectorate, and the examination process is set to be streamlined.

However, concerns have been raised about this approach. Fergus Charlton, planning partner with Michelmores, argues that these changes lack consideration for local communities. He states, “This is a bad-news sandwich announcement, without the good news filling. Putting cuts to infrastructure funding to one-side, cutting the ability of the public at large and more importantly the local inhabitants (with their special connections to the land and knowledge of their milieu) to inform the design of nationally important infrastructure will further disenfranchise them from the planning process leading to embedded resentment to the system as a whole and the proposed development in particular.”

Charlton further notes that while the existing consultation requirements can burden developers, they serve an essential role in balancing the interests of local communities. He emphasises that “The existing consultation requirements for Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects (NSIPs) does place a burden on the developer, but it helps strike a fair balance for the local community engaging in an infrastructure planning system that greatly favours the developer.”

With the Government's announcement, the future of infrastructure planning remains a contentious issue, as stakeholders assess the trade-offs between efficiency and community involvement