The Planning and Infrastructure Bill: Big promises, but will it fill my craneless London skyline?

From the top of Greenwich Park, you can usually trace London’s rhythm by its cranes. They rise and dip across the skyline like a heartbeat. Lately, though, there are fewer of them.

That missing metal says a lot. Despite Labour’s promise to get Britain building, housing delivery is slipping. The government’s target of 1.5 million new homes by the end of this parliament already feels ambitious, perhaps even a pipe dream.

Enter the Planning and Infrastructure Bill, the government’s answer to a sluggish planning system and a stalling construction pipeline. After months of slow legislative progress, Rachel Reeves has tabled a new set of amendments designed to inject some urgency.

What the Bill sets out to do?

The Bill’s purpose is simple: make planning faster, clearer and better linked to growth.

It promises to:

• Speed up decisions on major housing, energy and transport projects
• Create a national scheme of delegation to clarify which applications go to committee and which can be decided by officers
• Allow councils to recover more of their costs through updated planning fees
• Modernise compulsory purchase and land assembly rules to make regeneration easier
• Introduce environmental delivery plans to support nature recovery alongside development

On paper, it’s a solid reform package and one the sector has long been asking for.

What Reeves has recently added, and why now?

Reeves’ amendments take things further by:

• Giving ministers new powers to intervene when local authorities delay or refuse major schemes
• Shortening judicial review windows for nationally significant infrastructure projects
• Tying planning reform directly to the government’s wider growth agenda

The timing is deliberate. Reeves wants these changes in place before the Budget so the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) can factor them into its forecasts. Faster decisions and visible reform help reinforce the government’s message that it is “unblocking Britain,” even if the impact will take time to show.

It is as much about shaping economic confidence as it is about changing planning law.

When might the Bill become law?

Much of the real change will depend on secondary legislation and guidance, meaning it may be many months before planners or developers see a difference on the ground.

Still the same sticking points

For all the talk of reform, the planning system is still battling a familiar mix of challenges. There are many, but three stand out right now: capacity, delivery and investment.

First, capacity. Local planning departments are running on skeleton teams. Senior officers are moving to the private sector, recruitment is slow, and budgets are stretched. You can’t speed up planning without planners; it’s as simple as that.

Then, delivery. Even with permissions in place, schemes stall as costs rise, viability slips, and infrastructure funding falls short. Developers are re-phasing or shelving projects while margins stay tight.

And, most of all, investment. Planning reform can only go so far without proper funding. Councils need resources to rebuild teams, train new planners and invest in the digital systems that speed up decision-making. Developers need certainty around infrastructure funding and support to make schemes stack up.

There is movement, but for now it looks more like triage than long-term recovery.

Breakthrough or another reboot?

The changes in the Bill are long overdue. Streamlining decisions and shortening reviews should make life easier for developers and local authorities alike. The intent to link planning

more directly to growth is welcome too; it finally recognises planning and development as an engine of the economy, not a brake on it.

But intent and impact are two very different things. If the new powers are matched by proper funding and delivery support, this Bill could mark a genuine shift. Without that, it risks becoming another well-meant reform that looks good on paper but struggles to show up in the skyline.

From the top of Greenwich Park, the cranes will tell us soon enough whether the promise to get Britain building is finally taking shape or not.

On the Air: Make Planning Make Sense 

Our Strategic Director of the Built Environment, Ollie Sargent, recently joined the Make Planning Make Sense podcast to discuss public engagement in planning - exploring how better consultation can shape stronger communities and more deliverable projects.

Ollie also spoke about the need for a national campaign to rebuild public understanding and trust in planning - and to help shift the perception of development. Listen on Spotify here

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