Further planning reforms announced to accelerate infrastructure projects

The Chancellor of the Exchequer has announced plans to speed up judicial reviews to prevent delays to major infrastructure projects.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves has set out she will work with the judiciary to cut the amount of time it takes for a judicial review to move through the court system to prevent major infrastructure projects being delayed by the processes. Currently, reviews can take over a year to be resolved, with legal proceedings adding up to £121 million to road projects as a result of delays, increased costs, and diminished investor confidence. However, of the 34 infrastructure projects that faced judicial reviews since 2008, just four were upheld.

Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rachel Reeves, said:

“Our planning reforms are set to benefit the economy by up to £7.5 billion over the next ten years, so whether through reducing the length of the judicial review process, tearing up burdensome regulations, or streamlining planning permissions with AI, we want to go further still by backing the builders not the blockers and deliver national renewal by getting Britain building.“

The announcement comes ahead of the Chancellor’s upcoming Budget, where she is expected to bring forward further planning reforms to deliver more new homes and accelerate economic growth. Existing changes to the planning system are already moving through Parliament, with amendments to the the government’s Planning and Infrastructure Bill having been tabled.

Businesses involved in delivering major infrastructure projects have welcomed the Chancellor’s announcment. Chris Ball, President, UK & Ireland, for Manchester-based engineering consultancy, AtkinsRéalis, said:

“The faster these projects move into delivery, the sooner their economic impact can be felt locally and through the jobs and investment in supply chains across the country. We welcome efforts to remove systemic barriers to delivery and streamline the system by fast-tracking projects whilst also taking careful account of the impact on nature and ensuring that local communities continue to have a vital role within the decision-making process.

“Critical infrastructure is the lifeblood of the economy: it powers homes and businesses, moves people to places and goods to markets, creates capacity for new homes and industrial zones and enables sustainable, resilient growth.“