The government publishes its response to the consultation (which ran until 27/10/2025) relating to the infrastructure planning process for Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects (NSIPs) …

[UPDATE: For the subsequent legislation relating to this consultation, please view this post.]

The government has published the following response to the consultation titled "Consultation on streamlining infrastructure planning" (which ran for 8 weeks from 01/09/2025 until 27/10/2025):

Response document:

  • July 2026: Consultation on streamlining infrastructure planning - government response (link) (pdf print version of HTML webpage).

Notes:

  • The "Purpose of this consultation" section within the above response document includes the following information:
    - "In December 2025, the Planning and Infrastructure Act 2025 (the 'PIA 2025'), which amends the Planning Act 2008 (the 'Planning Act'), received Royal Assent. Part 1 of the PIA 2025 reforms the infrastructure planning process, introducing major changes to the planning process for NSIPs [Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects]. These reforms focus on tackling delays to determining major infrastructure projects, and makes targeted changes to support proportionality and speed at each stage of the NSIP planning process under the Planning Act.".
    - "Government must now implement the PIA 2025's measures through secondary legislation and guidance, make improvements to aspects of the legal framework, reform the services from the Planning Inspectorate and collaborate with all system stakeholders to drive behaviour change which supports more proportionate approaches in the planning process. In September 2025, the government launched a consultation seeking views on implementing the PIA 2025 alongside further changes to guidance, secondary legislation and services to support a more streamlined planning process.".
    - "This response sets out government's policy position on the areas covered in the consultation and takes account of the responses to the consultation.".
  • The "Executive summary" section within the above response document includes the following information:
    - "Alongside this response, we are laying relevant supporting secondary legislation before Parliament, and will shortly publish (in final form) our revised suite of National Infrastructure Planning Guidance. This will enable key reforms to commence on 24 July 2026 (at which point the new suite of guidance will come into effect). From summer 2026, we will trial and implement new approaches. We plan to make the necessary legislative and guidance changes to reform compulsory acquisition processes, implement a new process for post-consent changes, and support the greater use of model provisions in 2027. We will work across government and with the PAS and its local authority network, the NIPA, and other key stakeholders, as we implement all reforms.".

Other sources of information:

  • September 2025: Consultation on streamlining infrastructure planning (link) (pdf print version of HTML webpage).
    - Note: For more information about the above document, please view this post.
  • July 2026: Government press release - "Fastest infrastructure building in a generation as planning rules overhauled" (link).