Government unveils fast track infrastructure planning lane

The government has unveiled moves to speed up the planning process for major infrastructure projects, like offshore wind farms.

Under proposals to speed up the delivery of Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects (NSIPs), the government aims to meet its goal of halving the time it takes for such schemes to win consent.

The package set out a series of new benchmarks for the key stages of the process for awarding development consent orders (DCOs).

The timespan for granting DCOs increased by 65% between 2012 and 2021 with offshore wind projects taking up to four years to get through the process.

A new target of three months will be set for the pre-examination stage, during which interested parties can register and make objections or express support for a project.

Examinations will be cut from a current maximum length of six months to four.

And the maximum time for the Planning Inspectorate, which vets NSIPs, to make both recommendations and decisions on projects in the fast-track route will be cut from three to two and a half months each.

The fast-track route will be available to developers which sign up to the inspectorate’s enhanced pre-application service.

Those using this service will benefit from greater support from the inspectorate but will be required to provide a programme plan that they will be expected to adhere to.

Alongside the new fast track route, the government has announced additional support for councils to develop skills needed to support infrastructure delivery through the second round of its Innovation and Capacity Fund. The inspectorate’s resources for handling NSIPs will also be bolstered.

In addition, a group of environment, energy, levelling up and transport ministers will work together to troubleshoot potential issues that hold up progress and rapidly develop practical solutions to speed up delivery.

And developers will be offered incentives to engage more proactively and effectively with local authorities and communities to ensure major infrastructure projects deliver for the communities that host them.

Prime minister Rishi Sunak said: “It is right that we make it as easy as possible for these important projects to be approved and delivered across the country.”

Responding to the package of reforms, Sam Richards, founder and campaign director for pro-growth campaign group Britain Remade, said: “Slashing bureaucracy and red-tape in order to get spades in the ground as quickly as possible for new offshore wind farms, transport links and nuclear power stations is a start, but government must go further.

“Despite this welcome announcement new onshore wind farms, one of the cheapest sources of energy available, are still banned in England – condemning millions of people to higher energy bills. Ministers must act now to reverse the ban so that Britain can be energy secure and households can enjoy lower bills.”

The consultation on the shake up of the NSIP regime is due to conclude on 19 September.