The Planning and Infrastructure Bill was introduced in parliament today to speed up planning and “remove unnecessary blockers” across housebuilding, roads, railway lines and windfarms.

Key to the government’s plans for growth, the legislation is designed to prepare the ground for 1.5 million homes and 150 major projects over the next five years.

Deputy Prime Minister and housing secretary Angela Rayner says: “We’re creating the biggest building boom in a generation — as a major step forward in getting Britain building again and unleashing economic growth in every corner of the country, by lifting the bureaucratic burden which has been holding back developments for too long.”

Rayner adds: “It will help us to deliver the 1.5 million homes we have committed to so we can tackle the housing crisis we have inherited head on”.

Key parts of the bill relating to housing include:

Planning committees

• A national scheme of delegation introduced across housebuilding to set out which applications should be determined by officers and which by local committees
• The delegation body will have control over the size of planning committees “to ensure good debate is encouraged with large and unwieldy committees banned”. It will oversee mandatory training for planning committee members
• Councils allowed to set planning fees to cover their costs — the current system is £362m in debt

Compulsory purchases

• The compulsory purchases will be improved to ensure important developments delivering public benefits can progress
• The aim to remove ‘hope value’ — the value attributed to the prospect of planning permission being granted for alternative development — “where justified in the public interest is sped-up”
• Inspectors, councils, or mayors where there are no objections, will take decisions instead of the secretary of state

Development corporations

• Development corporations will be strengthened to make it easier to deliver large-scale development — the government has unveiled plans for up to 12 new towns, with around 10,000 homes, will begin construction before the next election

Strategic Planning

• New “spatial development strategies” across a range of local planning authorities aim to ensure development is matched by infrastructure needs
• These plans will be produced by mayors, or by local authorities in some cases

The housing department says: “By ensuring shovels can be put in the ground more quickly and projects are freed from unnecessary bureaucracy, these measures will help deliver a building boom that will deliver a major boost to the economy worth billions of pounds, and create tens of thousands more jobs as houses and infrastructure are built.”

Shawbrook managing director of development finance Terry Woodley adds: “The Planning and Infrastructure Bill should provide developers with a further injection of confidence for the year ahead.

“Key facets of the Bill, like planning committees, development corporations and strategic planning elements should reduce red tape and streamline processes, which will play a crucial role in delivering the ambitious new homes target.

“However, while this is a positive move in the right direction, this doesn’t address the recruitment and training of additional planners, which will take time, or the skills shortage in the sector.”

The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors chief executive Jason Young says: “Getting these reforms right is crucial for achieving the ambitious plans for building that the UK government set out last summer.

“Retaining important judicial reviews while limiting the scope for vexatious delays is a proportionate response.

“This together with an overall reduction in bureaucracy will prove crucial for getting more building projects off the ground.”

The Federation of Master Builders chief executive Brian Berry points out: “In the 1980’s around 40% of new homes were built by SMEs, yet today that figure is around 10%. Small builders across the UK stand ready to play their part in delivering the homes we need, but time and time again we’ve seen barriers keeping them out of the market.

“We know from research carried out by our body that around three-quarters of small builders view the planning system as the number one issue holding back the delivery of new homes, while lack of viable and available land are also major challenges.”

Santander head of Intermediaries Graham Sellar says: “Our recent research around New Towns showed that while over 85% of brokers are seeing an uplift in client interest in New Town developments, brokers report that clients are looking beyond just roofs over their heads.

“Among those expressing interest in New Towns, nine in ten brokers say access to medical facilities is crucial for their clients, other key factors include access to quality schools (88%) and robust transport links (87%).”