PBC Today quotes Kevin Gibbs on amendments to the Planning and Infrastructure Bill

Clean energy projects, public transport links, and other major infrastructure will reportedly be delivered at least a year faster on average, as the government accelerates planning reforms.

Amendments to the Planning and Infrastructure Bill will scrap statutory consultation requirements specifically related to major infrastructure projects, reducing the average two-year consultation period in half. These changes aim to help deliver new roads, railways, and windfarms that will bolster the country’s connectivity and energy security, according to the government.

The government will bring the community consultation process in line with planning applications for major housing schemes, and set out new statutory guidance to promote meaningful local engagement without constant revisions forcing developers to effectively start project designs over and fatiguing community engagement.

The government claims that this could save over £1 billion for industry and taxpayers this Parliament.

Kevin Gibbs, Senior Consultant in our Planning, Infrastructure & Environment team, comments on the Bill and the latest raft of amendments in an article by PBC Today. Kevin explains:

Scrapping statutory consultation requirements for major infrastructure projects is an unexpected but welcomed step in the Government’s drive to radically transform the infrastructure consenting process.  Vitally important consultation at an informative stage of an infrastructure project’s development has for too long been process driven.  What is critical is meaningful consultation, not the process. Provided engagement with the relevant statutory bodies and communities is not lost, which can be safeguarded in the proposed statutory guidance, then today’s announcement will certainly cut the consenting timeline.

Read the full article in PBC Today here.