Accelerating housing, infrastructure, and clean energy
On Tuesday (11 March) the UK government introduced the Planning and Infrastructure Bill to Parliament, a major legislative step aimed at accelerating housing, infrastructure, and clean energy projects. The bill, spearheaded by Deputy Prime Minister and Housing Secretary Angela Rayner, seeks to streamline the planning system, reduce bureaucratic delays, and unlock investment to support economic growth and the country’s clean energy transition.
With the government committing to 150 major infrastructure approvals within this Parliament, the bill introduces a range of reforms to planning decisions, compulsory purchase rules, grid connections, and environmental obligations.
Below are some of Copper’s key takeaways from the proposed legislation:
1. Faster planning decisions and new delegation rules
A significant reform in the bill is the introduction of a national scheme of delegation for planning decisions. This would determine which applications are handled by planning officers and which require approval from councillors on planning committees. The aim is to speed up decision-making, ensuring projects that align with Local Plans and the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) are approved without unnecessary delays.
Additional changes include:
- Mandated training for planning committee members to improve decision-making consistency.
- Councils gaining the power to set their own planning fees, helping to fund an under-resourced system.
- Limitations on the size of planning committees to reduce inefficiencies in decision-making.
However, concerns have been raised about the potential erosion of local democratic oversight, with some arguing that reducing councillor involvement could weaken local influence over
2. Reforming the NSIP process to speed up major infrastructure
The Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects (NSIP) process is set for a major overhaul, with changes designed to reduce delays and legal challenges.
Key reforms include:
- Updating National Policy Statements (NPSs) at least every five years to ensure infrastructure decisions remain aligned with national priorities.
- Limiting legal challenges to one opportunity, preventing multiple appeals from delaying key projects.
- Expanding Development Corporations’ powers to help deliver large-scale housing and infrastructure.
While these changes aim to cut delays and improve investor confidence, industry experts argue that they may not go far enough to significantly speed up pre-application and examination periods, which remain key bottlenecks in the system.
3. Unlocking grid connections and prioritising clean energy projects
One of the biggest obstacles to delivering clean energy in the UK has been long grid connection delays. Under the current system, projects can wait over a decade to connect, significantly slowing down the transition to renewables.
The Planning and Infrastructure Bill proposes a ‘first ready, first connected’ approach, prioritising projects that are construction-ready over those that are still in early planning stages.
Key energy infrastructure changes:
- Doubling transmission infrastructure by 2030 to keep up with growing electricity demand.
- Faster approvals for battery storage, hydrogen, and solar projects, removing red tape that has delayed deployment.
- New powers for authorities to bring forward clean energy projects on public land.
Industry experts have welcomed these changes but emphasise that grid reform must be accompanied by long-term investment in storage solutions and interconnection upgrades to balance supply and demand.
4. Overhauling compulsory purchase laws for faster development
To accelerate housing and infrastructure delivery, the bill includes reforms to Compulsory Purchase Orders (CPOs), making it easier and faster for developers to acquire land for public-interest projects.
Notable changes include:
- Local councils, mayors, and inspectors will have more authority to approve compulsory purchases, reducing ministerial delays.
- Revised compensation rules to remove ‘hope value’ – preventing excessive payouts to landowners based on speculative future development potential.
This is expected to help unlock stalled developments and provide much-needed housing in the case of ‘hope value’, however developers will still need to ensure early engagement with landowners to avoid disputes and build community trust.
5. New community and environmental protection measures
To balance faster development with environmental sustainability, the bill introduces several measures aimed at mitigating project impacts and ensuring communities benefit from major infrastructure.
- Nature Restoration Fund – Instead of developers funding individual biodiversity efforts, contributions will be pooled to support larger-scale environmental restoration projects.
- Pylon Compensation Scheme – Households living within 500m of new transmission infrastructure could receive up to £2,500 in bill discounts over 10 years.
- Funding for communities hosting major grid infrastructure, with £200k per km of overhead line and £530k per substation / connector or switcher, supporting local projects such as sports clubs and educational initiatives.
While these initiatives have largely been welcomed, environmental groups remain cautious, warning that fast-tracked approvals must not compromise nature protections.
6. Streamlining legal challenges for infrastructure projects
One of the most controversial elements of the bill is the reduction in legal challenges for major infrastructure projects.
Currently, 58% of major projects face legal action, often delaying progress for years. The bill proposes:
- Limiting legal challenges to just one attempt, instead of multiple rounds of appeals.
- Ensuring infrastructure applications are assessed against updated policies every five years, reducing uncertainty in decision-making.
While these measures aim to prevent “meritless” legal cases, critics argue that restricting judicial review could undermine legitimate challenges, particularly for projects with significant environmental or community impact.
What’s next?
The Planning and Infrastructure Bill represents a major shift in how housing, energy, and infrastructure projects are approved and delivered in the UK. While it introduces long-overdue reforms to speed up planning decisions, streamline grid connections, and improve environmental accountability, concerns remain about the balance between efficiency and local democratic oversight.
With the bill now making its way through Parliament, the coming months will be crucial in determining how these reforms take shape – and whether they truly deliver on the government’s ambitious targets.
Copper will be closely monitoring the bill’s progress and what it means for developers, local authorities, and communities. From changes to the DCO process and NSIP reforms to planning committee delegation and grid connection improvements, we’ll be tracking the practical implications for infrastructure delivery.
If you need guidance on navigating the evolving planning landscape, please do reach out to Aimee Howard or Tom Bennett in Copper’s Infrastructure Practice.