The Government’s Planning and Infrastructure Bill is being hailed as a catalyst for what could be the largest building boom in a generation. Positioned as the key to meeting the UK’s urgent need for housing, the Bill aims to deliver 1.5 million homes by 2029, position Britain as a global clean energy leader, and drive substantial improvements in living standards. But while the ambitious reforms promise significant economic growth and a faster construction timeline, they also pose a challenge for local authorities already grappling with stretched resources.

Having passed its second reading in the House of Commons, the Bill is poised for further scrutiny and discussion, with the government’s transformative objectives firmly in mind: removing roadblocks to construction, simplifying bureaucratic processes, and unlocking billions in economic potential. Key stakeholders, from planners to industry leaders, have been involved in shaping the Bill, with the hope that it will empower the sector to deliver new homes and infrastructure more efficiently.

Phil Hutton, Product Director (Land, Property and Public Protection), tackles the pressing challenges in planning and infrastructure, stressing the urgent need for a solid tech foundation to streamline planning, street naming and numbering, and address management—essential to meet the rising demand driven by the Bill’s outcomes.

93% of SMEs
identify delays in securing planning permission as a major growth barrier

91% of SMEs
report that planning departments in local authorities are under-resourced

46% of developers
have seen the cost of obtaining planning permission rise by over 30% in three years

Addressing the challenges in homebuilding

The UK is in the midst of a severe housing crisis, and while the need for new homes has never been more urgent, several barriers continue to stymie progress. A survey conducted by the Home Builders Federation (HBF), Close Brothers Property Finance, and Travis Perkins plc reveals the following insights from SME homebuilders:

• 93% of SMEs identify delays in securing planning permission as a major growth barrier.
• 91% of SMEs report that planning departments in local authorities are under-resourced, hampering growth.
• 46% of developers have seen the cost of obtaining planning permission rise by over 30% in just the last three years, even before anticipated planning fee hikes in December 2024.

The Government’s Planning and Infrastructure Bill seeks to address these persistent issues with a series of reforms aimed at reducing delays, cutting bureaucracy, and fostering a more efficient planning system.

Key reforms in the Planning and Infrastructure Bill

The Bill proposes five critical changes designed to streamline the planning process and create an environment that is more conducive to rapid, efficient development.

1. Reducing legal challenges: Under the current system, major infrastructure projects can face up to three legal challenges, resulting in significant delays and costs. The Bill aims to reduce this to two, with a single challenge allowed for those deemed entirely without merit.
2. Accelerating planning decisions: With planning authorities consistently under-resourced, the Bill introduces two key measures to help speed up decision-making:
   • Local authorities will be given the power to raise planning fees to ensure they can cover the full cost of processing applications, with these funds ringfenced for reinvestment into the planning system.
   • Regulations will be introduced to clarify which planning decisions should be delegated to planning officers rather than local planning committees, helping to accelerate the process.
3. Strategic planning for the future: The Bill introduces a requirement for combined authorities and other local government bodies to prepare a Spatial Development Strategy for their areas, ensuring a more coordinated approach to long-term development planning.
4. Empowering development corporations: The Bill also makes updates to development corporation legislation, reducing inconsistencies and enabling new town development corporations to manage urban extensions more effectively, ensuring the Government’s upcoming wave of New Towns is well-coordinated.
5. Streamlining environmental regulations: Environmental compliance is often cited as one of the key barriers to development. The Bill proposes that delivery bodies, such as Natural England, create high-level Environmental Delivery Plans to standardise mitigation measures for different types of development across various regions, reducing unnecessary red tape.

In her remarks during the Bill’s second reading, Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner emphasised that the reforms would cut through bureaucracy, fast-track transport projects, and limit meritless legal challenges. She also noted that the Bill would streamline consultation processes that often slow down development without offering meaningful input.

Balancing reform with local authority capacity

As the Government pushes for these transformative reforms, there is growing concern about how local authorities will cope with the increasing demands placed on them. With already stretched budgets and responsibilities, local councils face significant pressure to implement the Bill’s objectives while continuing to provide essential public services.

Furthermore, the Bill forms part of a broader suite of planning reforms, including the revised National Planning Policy Framework. This framework sets out three interdependent objectives—economic, social, and environmental—that local authorities must balance as they work to streamline planning processes and deliver on the government’s ambitious housing and infrastructure goals.

The role of technology in supporting local authorities

As the Planning and Infrastructure Bill progresses, the demand for effective planning and address management systems will rise exponentially. Idox, a leader in planning and address management solutions, offers a suite of tools designed to support local authorities in effectively managing the planning processes and creating and maintaining the Local Land and Property Gazetteer (LLPG) and Local Street Gazetteer (LSG). 

Idox’s planning solutions leverage decades of expertise in UK local government, offering agile, cloud-based case management software to streamline workflows and automate tasks. This enables councils to manage the entire planning service remit efficiently, from application to decision, significantly improving responsiveness.

Their cloud-based Gazetteer Management System (GMS) for creating and managing the LLPG and LSG, iManage Cloud, offers a modern, user-friendly platform for creating and managing properties and streets throughout the entire lifecycle—from plot creation to postal assignment and even demolition. Its complementary street naming and numbering tool is undergoing major development to offer the same efficient user experience, while seamlessly integrating with the GMS to save time and eliminate duplication.

With more than 280 local authorities already using Idox’s planning and address management solutions, the need for robust, efficient systems is clear. The passage of the Planning and Infrastructure Bill will only accelerate this demand, requiring local authorities to act quickly and effectively in delivering the Government’s housing and infrastructure objectives.

Preparing for the future

The Government’s Planning and Infrastructure Bill holds the potential to reshape the UK’s construction landscape by speeding up planning processes, reducing bureaucratic delays, and fostering economic growth. However, the success of these reforms will depend on how well local authorities adapt to the increased demands placed on them. By implementing modern, streamlined planning and address management solutions, local authorities can better manage the surge in new developments and ensure the Bill’s goals are met efficiently.

For local authorities, now is the time to ensure the right systems and processes are in place to keep up with the expected growth. Working with industry leaders like Idox can help ensure a smooth transition to a faster, more efficient planning environment. 

Speak to one of our experts today to make sure your local authority is ready for the challenges and opportunities ahead.  Contact your Account Manager or email [email protected] to find out more.