Planning and Infrastructure Bill: call for evidence

Aims of the Bill

The bill would make changes to the law around planning and infrastructure to support ambitions in the government’s Plan for Change. These ambitions include delivering 1.5 million homes and deciding 150 nationally significant infrastructure projects (NSIPs) before the end of the 2024 parliament.

The Bill would:

• reform rules around nationally significant infrastructure projects (under the Planning Act 2008), including by requiring regular review of national policy statements and introducing a more focused consultation process;
• speed up the delivery of electricity infrastructure, introduce a ‘cap and floor’ revenue support scheme for long duration energy storage technologies, and set up a benefits scheme for households living near new or significantly upgraded electricity transmission infrastructure;
• streamline planning processes for transport projects consented under the Highways Act 1980 and Transport and Works Act 1992 regimes, including through new charging arrangements, revised timescales for consultation and decision-making, and powers to take temporary possession of and use land;
• enable local authorities to set planning fees and charges locally, establish a national scheme of planning delegation, require mandatory training of planning committee members, introduce new strategic planning boards and clarify the process for spatial development strategies;
• grant new powers for Natural England to produce ‘environmental development plans’ to assess the impact of projects on significant nature protection sites;
• clarify the role and remit of development corporations to ensure a consistent approach to support large-scale housing delivery; and
• bring together and streamline compulsory purchase procedures to enable greater flexibility for change and early possession of land.

The bill would extend to England and Wales, with some provisions for infrastructure also extending to Scotland.

Follow the progress of the Planning and Infrastructure Bill

The Planning and Infrastructure Bill 2024-2025 was introduced to the House of Commons and had its first reading on 11 March 2025. Second reading was held on 24 March 2025.

• Bills before Parliament: Planning and Infrastructure Bill
• Read Explanatory Notes: Planning and Infrastructure Bill
• House of Commons Library Briefing Paper

The government published a guide to the bill and fact sheets on the nature restoration fund, critical infrastructure reforms, planning committees, local fee setting, bill discounts for transmission network infrastructure and strategic planning.

Oral evidence sessions will be held on Thursday 24 April.

Guidance on submitting written evidence

Deadline for written evidence submissions

The Public Bill Committee is now able to receive written evidence. The sooner you send in your submission, the more time the Committee will have to take it into consideration.

Amendments tabled to the Bill, and information regarding the order in which amendments will be taken in Committee, will be available in due course on the Bill’s publications page (under ‘Amendment paper’ and ‘Selection of amendments’). Once the Committee has dealt with an amendment it will not revisit it.

The Public Bill Committee on the Planning and Infrastructure Bill will meet for the first time on Thursday 24 April 2025 and will report by 5pm on Thursday 22 May. When the Committee concludes its consideration of the Bill it is no longer able to receive written evidence and it can conclude earlier than the deadline of 5pm on Thursday 22 May 2025. You are strongly advised to submit your written evidence as soon as possible.

Your submission should be emailed to scrutiny@parliament.uk

Further guidance on submitting written evidence can be found here (pdf, 1MB).

Image: House of Commons