‘Burdensome’ statutory consultation to be scrapped on major housing schemes

New statutory guidance will be set out for developments “without repeating these flaws” in a way that recognises “community voices remain vital”.

It is hoped this will allow changes to be made based on community feedback, reducing delays and potentially saving more than £1bn for industry and taxpayers this parliament.

Alongside housing, it is estimated that clean energy projects, public transport links and other major infrastructure will on average be delivered at least a year faster.

Angela Rayner, deputy prime minister and housing secretary, said: “Critical national infrastructure is key to Britain’s future and security – so we can’t afford to have projects held up by tiresome requirements and uncertainty, caused by a system that is not working for communities or developers and holding back our true potential.

“We are strengthening the Planning and Infrastructure Bill to make sure we can lead the world again with new roads, railways and energy infrastructure as part of the Plan for Change, whilst ensuring local people still have a say in our journey to get Britain building.”

Additional measures in the bill include compulsory purchase reform, streamlined planning decisions through a new national scheme of delegation, the strengthening of development corporations, and a nature restoration fund to “ensure there is a win-win for both the economy and nature”.

The sector broadly welcomed the changes in March, but explained that planning reforms alone are not enough to deliver the government’s 1.5 million-home target.

Alongside these amendments, the government is also exploring how AI could be used to increase the availability of planning data, allowing councils to make more informed planning decisions faster.

To help tackle this, the government’s Incubator for Artificial Intelligence is working closely with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government’s Digital Planning Programme to develop AI that provides higher-quality data, in turn helping councils make faster, smarter planning decisions.

The new generative AI tool will turn old planning documents, including blurry maps and handwritten notes, into clear, digital data in just 40 seconds.

This will drastically reduce the one to two hours it typically takes planners. It is currently being tested and could be available to councils later this year.