27 January 2025The government has released a planning reform working paper inviting views on how it could ‘streamline the development of critical infrastructure, in particular Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects (NSIPs). It focuses specifically on potential legislative changes, principally to the Planning Act 2008.’
‘In doing so, it proposes options for:
- Reviewing National Policy Statements (NPSs) on a more regular basis and making it easier to update them in the interim
- Protecting the role of consultation in the consenting process but making it less burdensome
- Supporting delivery of infrastructure post-consent
- Allowing for appropriate flexibility in the process applied to projects where this is merited
- Strengthening statutory guidance to ensure clarity over what is and is not required.’
Feedback from the working paper will inform the government’s next stage of policy development.
Further information about the working paper can be found here.
You can respond here. Please note that the government has emphasised that this is not a formal consultation, but is intended to inform discussions with the sector, to determine whether and how to take proposals forward.
