NIC calls for new unit to oversee planning overhaul

A new top-level Whitehall taskforce should be set up to oversee the infrastructure planning regime, a government-commissioned review has urged.

In the review, published today (18 April), the National Infrastructure Commission (NIC) sets out a wide-ranging series of recommendations for reversing the 65% increase in consenting times for major projects seen over the past decade.

In addition, according to the review, there has been a surge in the volume of judicial reviews of Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects (NSIPs) since their introduction in 2012.

The NIC review says all parts of national infrastructure planning, including decision making by ministers, must be more disciplined in terms of timeframes and issues resolved at the appropriate stage in the process.

It recommends that stronger accountability is needed at the centre of government with the establishment of a new skilled unit or taskforce reporting to the prime minister or chancellor.

The new unit’s remit would include closely monitoring the performance of the system, learning lessons from applications and unblocking systemic issues affecting certain types of schemes as they emerge.

The new central coordination and oversight mechanism unit should be up and running by the end of 2023, according to the NIC, with measurable targets for reducing consenting times for NSIPs.

The new unit would also have a remit to coordinate regular and consistent reviews of National Policy Statements (NPSs).

The NIC has recommended the introduction of a legal requirement that the NPSs for energy, water resources and national networks are reviewed at least every five years.

It adds that the NPSs could keep pace with legislative updates, such as 2019’s introduction of the net zero emissions target, by inserting modules when key new laws are passed.

The NIC proposes these modules would be attached to legislation, therefore cutting out the need for separate consultation because Parliament can handle the necessary scrutiny.

The commission pins part of the blames for the slowdown in the consenting process on the aged state of the NPSs, many of which have not been updated since the introduction of the NIPS regime.

The NIC also recommends the establishment of a new data platform to share environmental information.

Under the existing systems of environmental assessments, the impact of infrastructure is managed on a scheme-by-scheme basis.

Individual schemes are required to collect up to three years of environmental data, sometimes duplicating that recently gathered, undermining the speed, quality and certainty of the infrastructure planning system, the review says.

Schemes can spend months or years collecting environmental data which has already been collected by other schemes, according to the NIC.

It recommends that environmental impacts should be assessed instead on an eco-system-wide basis with schemes sharing data via a new platform which should be developed by the end of next year.

The report also recommends the establishment of a library of measures, which individual projects can draw on to mitigate the impact of their schemes.

Responding to the NIC review, Tom Greatrex, chief executive of the Nuclear Industry Association, said: “We welcome the Commission’s emphasis on a more robust and streamlined planning system, in particular setting out clear tests for National Policy Statements, which is vital step if we are to meet ambitious clean energy targets.”

Marta Krajewska, deputy director of policy at Energy UK, said: “The planning system will play a crucial role in enabling the energy sector to help deliver the transformational change required to achieve net zero – but the increasing delays we’ve seen in recent years threaten to undermine the government’s own targets for accelerating the production of domestic clean energy.

“We welcome the commission’s recommendation to develop a central coordination body to ensure that National Policy Statements are updated regularly and provide the clarity required to deliver a faster, more flexible planning system and increase certainty for investors.”