Planning proposals to unblock vital infrastructure and drive nature’s recovery
Date: 2025-01-22 15:34 Source: UK News and communications
Detailed Article:
The government has today (22 January 2025) set out plans to make it easier to build vital infrastructure and restore and protect nature, while maintaining the firm protections already in place for important habitats and species.
The proposals will ensure the planning system is more transparent, efficient and proportionate, allowing for vital infrastructure projects that will help to grow the economy, create jobs and level up across the country to get off the ground faster.
At the same time, the government is strengthening its commitment to tackling the climate and biodiversity crises, with ambitious proposals to protect and restore habitats, increase biodiversity and support the delivery of net zero.
Streamlining planning processes for nationally significant infrastructure projects will help to speed up delivery of essential schemes such as renewable energy, transport and digital infrastructure, creating jobs and supporting economic growth.
Reforms to the Habitats Regulations will help to deliver more sustainable development, while ensuring robust protection for internationally designated sites is maintained. This will allow certainty to businesses and communities, and speed up the delivery of much-needed homes and infrastructure while protecting natural habitats.
The government will also introduce measures to further protect and restore ecosystems, such as strengthening environmental impact assessment requirements, introducing a mandatory biodiversity net gain requirement for all new developments and supporting the creation of a Nature Recovery Network.
Environment Secretary Thérèse Coffey said:
“This package of reforms strikes the right balance between ensuring nationally significant infrastructure and development can happen in a timely fashion, whilst maintaining vital protections for our natural environment.
“We have listened to our stakeholders and businesses and made changes to the proposals to give greater clarity and certainty, such as in our approach to Habitats Regulations and the delivery of biodiversity net gain.
“Our reforms will not only help to boost our economy and level up across the country, but will also provide greater protection for our precious environment, helping us to deliver on our net zero and biodiversity targets.”
Planning reforms
Proposed reforms to the planning system for nationally significant infrastructure projects will give greater clarity and certainty to businesses and communities, helping to speed up delivery of vital infrastructure schemes which are essential for economic growth.
These reforms will include:
- A new statutory Digital Infrastructure Map to provide clear areas for mobile network operators to enhance mobile signal without the need to apply for planning permission, subject to certain criteria. This will make it easier to improve connectivity in rural areas and meet the growing demand for mobile data services.
- A new simplified consenting regime for nationally significant infrastructure projects to reduce consent timeframes.
- A new approach to governance and accountability, with the Infrastructure Planning Commission made more independent and its remit expanded to cover onshore windfarms.
Habitats Regulations
Proposed changes to the Habitats Regulations will ensure robust protection for internationally designated sites whilst providing greater clarity and certainty for businesses and communities.
These changes will include:
- A stronger presumption in favour of sustainable development, while maintaining strong protections for internationally designated sites.
- New streamlined arrangements for assessing applications that could affect these sites, including a new Fast Track Assessment route for certain types of projects.
- The introduction of a new locally tailored planning framework for nationally significant infrastructure projects in England to provide greater certainty and community involvement in decision-making.
Environment
The government is also introducing measures to further protect and restore ecosystems, including:
- Strengthening environmental impact assessment requirements to ensure a more robust and comprehensive assessment of the potential effects of all developments on the environment.
- Introducing a mandatory biodiversity net gain requirement for all new developments, requiring developers to create or enhance habitats to deliver a net gain for biodiversity.
- Supporting the creation of a Nature Recovery Network to connect and restore fragmented habitats, providing greater protection for wildlife and improving resilience to climate change.
These proposals will help to protect and enhance our natural environment, contributing to the government’s ambitious targets for tackling the climate and biodiversity crises.
Next steps
The government will now consult on these proposals for 12 weeks, seeking views from businesses, environmental groups, local authorities and communities.
The consultation closes on 12 April 2025.
Following the consultation, the government will publish its response and set out its next steps.
Planning proposals to unblock vital infrastructure and drive nature’s recovery
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