New reforms are designed to speed up the approval process for major infrastructure projects.

The reforms could cut pre-application time by up to a year and save developers £1bn on major infrastructure projects such as wind and solar farms, nuclear plants, reservoirs and new transport links.

The Planning and Infrastructure Act will come into effect later this month, scrapping mandatory pre-application consultation requirements for Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects (NSIPs), potentially cutting up to 12 months from the planning process.

In their place, developers will receive earlier technical support and advice from the Planning Inspectorate before applications are submitted, with examinations streamlined to focus on the key issues. Over 80 prospective applicants have already benefited from early advice to help shape their proposed applications since the launch of the Inspectorate’s new pre-application service.

Current Energy Minister Michael Shanks said: “Britain cannot afford to wait years for the clean energy infrastructure needed to strengthen our energy security and grow the economy. Every turbine, every solar panel, every cable we connect helps protect families from volatile fossil fuel markets and paves the way for a new era of clean energy for our country.”

As part of the wider package of reforms already underway, local authorities are also being supported to keep pace with the accelerating pipeline of infrastructure, as they can now set their own fees to recover costs for NSIP-related work and bid for up to £1m through Round 3 of the Innovation and Capacity Fund.

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