The Government’s Planning and Infrastructure Bill is nearing Royal Assent after the Commons and Lords resolved all the remaining amendments, with Housing Minister Matthew Pennycook (pictured) confirming it is “on course to receive Royal Assent before the end of the year.”

Too complex

The reforms come as official figures show both planning activity and housebuilding are at record lows, with the Government blaming the current system, which it says is too slow, too complex and unable to support the scale of delivery needed.

The Bill will introduce new powers that will remove blockages and speed up the decision process as well as help Labour hit its 1.5 million new homes target.

One of the most significant changes is a new ‘holding direction’, which will allow ministers to pause council refusals while they consider overturning the application.

The legislation will also prevent planning permissions expiring on major housing sites that are tied up in lengthy legal disputes. Ministers say this will stop approved developments from having to restart the process from scratch if court action drags on, a problem that has delayed several large schemes in recent years.

Get Britain building again”

Other measures in the Bill include steps to streamline the consent process for nationally significant infrastructure, speeding up of decisions on large reservoirs and energy projects, and reducing the number of procedural stages that have contributed to multi-year delays on major schemes.

Pennycook says it forms part of the Government’s commitment to “get Britain building again” and will give ministers the tools needed to intervene more effectively where delivery stalls.

Royal Assent is expected before the end of the year, with secondary legislation and detailed guidance due in 2025.