In his new role as Housing Secretary at the Department of Housing, Communities and Local Government, Steve Reed has announced that the Government has given the go-ahead to the largest number of major infrastructure projects in the first year of a Parliament in history.

With the help of reforms in the Planning and Infrastructure Bill that will speed up the consenting process for major economic infrastructure, including the removal of statutory pre-application requirements and cutting back “meritless legal challenges” from three to one, 21 major infrastructure planning decisions have been made in the government’s first year.

Projects greenlighted include the Lower Thames Crossing, Mona Offshore Windfarm, Simister Island development in the Manchester area and the expansion to Gatwick airport announced yesterday.

Earlier this year the Prime Minister set the government a target of 150 planning decisions on major infrastructure projects as part of the Plan for Change.

Steve Reed will today visit the Lower Thames Crossing area to see for himself how the project will improve journeys for millions of people each year.

Housing Secretary Steve Reed said:

“We’ve already said yes to major projects that will create more well-paid jobs providing clean power and new roads.

“We will go further to streamline planning rules to speed up new homes, data centres and businesses that will put an affordable home and well-paid job within reach of people in every part of our country.”

The announcement says that further reforms are building on this, with an update expected on the next generation of new towns and that the Planning and Infrastructure Bill remains on track to become law and unveiling new plans to build up and build out on brownfield sites faster.

Key decisions include:

The Lower Thames Crossing, approved under this government, will drive growth by tackling congestion that costs the UK millions every year and create a strategic new trade route between the ports of the south-east, midlands and north. Construction will support 22,000 jobs across the area and once completed it is projected to provide £200 million a year from better connections and less congestion.

The Mona Offshore Wind Farm located in the Irish Sea and the Rampion 2 Offshore Wind Farm located off the Sussex coast, which combined can produce enough clean electricity to power the equivalent of nearly 3 million homes.

The Viking CSS Pipeline in Lincolnshire which could support 20,000 jobs and boost the decarbonising industry in the Humber, creating opportunities for local people.

The M60/M62/M66 Simister Island development, three miles south of Bury, which will make commuting quicker for more than 90,000 people every day.

Gatwick Airport’s application to expand its operations through routine use of its existing northern runway after the Transport Secretary issued a letter confirming her approval.

Work is also ongoing at pace to make it easier to build digital infrastructure, such as laboratories and gigafactories by updating the National Planning Policy Framework and pressures facing local planning authorities will be eased through £46 million of investment to strengthen their capacity, alongside the recruitment and training of over 300 planners.

A total of 21 decisions were signed off in the first year of government; so far four decisions have been made in the second year, bringing the total to 25, with more projects expected to be decided before the end of the year.

The list of approved major infrastructure projects so far includes the Cambridge Waste Water Treatment Plant. In his previous role as Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, in April this year Steve Reed granted Anglian Water's Cambridge Waste Water Treatment Plant Relocation application development consent. 

The news is part of a year of activity to overhaul the planning system to speed up the delivery of infrastructure, including:

Making it easier to build digital infrastructure, such as laboratories and gigafactories by updating the National Planning Policy Framework, alongside introducing targets to boost housebuilding in the areas most in need;

Changing the rules to prevent major infrastructure projects being held up in the courts and help get Britain building following independent recommendations – data shows that in recent years 58% of all decisions on major infrastructure projects were taken to court, compared to the long-term average of 10%;

Removing statutory consultation requirements for major infrastructure - which could add £1 billion to the economy and speed up decisions by up to 12 months;

Delivering the biggest boost to affordable housing in a generation with £39 billion announced at the Spending Review; and

Making £16 billion of new public investment to help build over 500,000 new homes through a National Housing Bank, unlocking over £53 billion of private investment.