Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer pledged to fasttrack the sign-off of 150 Development Consent Orders (DCOs) for infrastructure during this parliament in his ‘Plan for Change’ speech delivered today at Pinewood Studios.

Outlining the ambitious commitment, which is aimed at revitalising the UK’s infrastructure and boosting economic growth, the Prime Minister said:

“Take our planning system. A blockage in our economy that is so big it obscures an entire future, stops this country building roads, grid connections, laboratories, trainlines, warehouses, windfarms, power stations - you name it.

“You look at our infrastructure and it is clear almost immediately that we have long freeloaded off the British genius of the past.

We haven’t built a reservoir for over 30 years and even the projects we do approve are fought tooth and nail. Until you end up with the absurd spectacle of a £100m bat tunnel holding up the country’s single biggest infrastructure project.

“We will streamline the approval process in the forthcoming Planning and Infrastructure Bill and driving through that reform, I can announce another new target. Not just 1.5 million homes but also 150 major infrastructure projects. A milestone that will triple the number of decisions on national infrastructure compared with the last Parliament.”

The government’s Kickstarting Economic Growth mission outlined in the government’s Plan for Change published today includes the Rebuilding Britain milestone which refers to “the failure of the planning regime.”

The Plan says it is slower and more costly to build economic infrastructure in England than other major countries like France and Italy – and that no new reservoir has been built since 1992. It also points out that the time it takes to secure planning permission for major economic infrastructure projects has almost doubled in the last decade to more than 4 years. Our growth mission will change this: fast-tracking infrastructure delivery and home building and enabling businesses to invest.

“We will do this while delivering the infrastructure the country needs – not simply through investment, but by reforming planning rules and fast-tracking 150 planning decisions on major infrastructure by the end of this Parliament – more than double the number decided in the previous Parliament,” the plan says.

Government to publish 10 year strategies for housing and infrastructure & pipeline of projects for investors and supply chains

It goes on to explain how the government will achieve this milestone:

“Lead times in planning, infrastructure and construction mean we are already constrained by the decisions we have inherited, but we expect the number of new homes to start rising significantly in the third year of the Parliament once our reforms take effect.

“This means we must do things differently. We must deliver a step change in investment, radically reform the planning system and provide long-term policy certainty.

“That is why we will publish ten-year strategies for housing and infrastructure next spring, with clear priorities, plans to deliver, and a pipeline of projects for investors and supply chains. These will reflect our next steps – reform, investment, supply.”

The government will:

• Reform the planning system so that it is pro-growth and pro-infrastructure, publish a new National Planning Policy Framework by the end of 2024 and update all relevant National Policy Statements by next summer. Make improvements to planning at a local level, modernising planning committees and increasing local planning capacity.
• Use the Planning and Infrastructure Bill to create a win-win for development and nature; and streamline processes for critical infrastructure.
• Strategically join up decisions on housing, business growth and infrastructure at both a national and local level, with the Westminster government’s industrial, housing and infrastructure strategies aligning with the local growth plans and strategic development plans led by mayors.
• Work in partnership with local leaders, housebuilders and infrastructure developers to deliver investment into these sectors and diversify the housebuilding system.
• Begin building the next generation of new towns, including delivering major urban extensions and unblocking development where it has stalled.

“Our housebuilding drive will present significant opportunities throughout the supply chain for businesses of all sizes, while our infrastructure reforms will underpin greater business and investor confidence,” the plan says.

National Infrastructure Commission - "Signing off 150 development consent orders is a huge undertaking"

Commenting in response, National Infrastructure Commission Chair Sir John Armitt said:

“Signing off 150 development consent orders is a huge undertaking, but essential given the sheer magnitude of transformative infrastructure the country needs: at least 17 major electricity transmission projects to deliver clean power by 2030 and ramped up renewable generation; at least nine major water storage and transfer programmes to keep the taps running; and progress on major projects like East West Rail and Lower Thames Crossing to speed up the country’s transport networks.

“Government’s chances of success will depend on turning its early commitments into sustained action to jump start a lethargic planning system and ensure it becomes a tool for progress rather than an anchor on UK growth. For starters, that means giving the Planning Inspectorate the additional resources it will need to deal with the increased throughput of projects.”

The Commission’s second National Infrastructure Assessment published in October 2023 included a recommendation for government to develop a central coordination and oversight mechanism, reporting to the Prime Minister or the Chancellor, with measurable targets for reducing consenting times for Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects (NSIPs); it also recommended the development of a framework of benefits for communities hosting major infrastructure.