New Chancellor's Proposed Planning Reforms

The Chancellor, Rachel Reeves, has today made the new Labour Government's first big policy statement in relation to growth and infrastructure investment. Her announcement pledges housebuilding and 'difficult decisions' to boost growth. Charlotte Yarker, a Partner in Daniel Watney's Planning Team, summarises the key pledges and the opportunities and challenges they will bring.

Today, Rachel Reeves has announced the reintroduction of mandatory housing targets for local authorities and mandatory Green Belt boundary reviews, with particular scrutiny of the contribution brown field and grey field Green Belt sites can make to housing land supply. This is to be welcomed as sweeping designations of land that does not meet any of the Green Belt tests are too often sterilised for development by the designation.

The Chancellor has also announced a more interventionist approach in relation to application for infrastructure projects, instructing Mayors and other regional planning authorities to consult the Secretary of State on such applications.

The Conservative Party's 'de facto ban' on on-shore windfarms has also been revoked and will be in place by autumn in a bid to accelerate the delivery of green energy infrastructure. This move will form part of the Government's green energy strategy and its plans for GB Energy.

It is clear that the Government means business in its desire to get on with delivering growth and these announcements are designed to help the development industry, from house builders to energy companies, in recognition, there are no public funds to deliver much needed development growth.

These announcements are good news for developers of strategic development and welcome to those of us frustrated by a planning system that too often fails to deliver well designed appropriate development in the right places.

It will however remain to be seen if the Government's commitment to development and growth, and to "get Britain building again" is able to over-come the ever-present local opposition to development that makes the planning system such a challenge.

Rachel Reeves' acknowledgement that "there is not a huge amount of money" means that planning departments are unlikely to receive any additional resource to improve the assessment and determination process of planning applications.

We will be closely monitoring every Government announcement on policy changes that affect the planning system from housing delivery, data centers and industrial infrastructure, and implications for energy infrastructure providers.