Commons Sense

House of Commons · Written Ministerial Statement

Further reforms to the Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects regime

23 April 2025 · Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Proposed by Matthew Pennycook Lab Greenwich and Woolwich

Transport

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

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At a glance

Key points

  • The government proposes amending the Planning and Infrastructure Bill to remove statutory requirements for pre-application consultation for NSIPs.
  • This change is expected to reduce typical pre-application times by up to 12 months.
  • The proposed reforms aim to save over 1 billion across projects during this Parliament.

Issue summary

The statement addresses reforms to the Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects (NSIP) regime to expedite planning processes.

Action requested

The government proposes amending the Planning and Infrastructure Bill to remove statutory requirements for pre-application consultation, reducing typical pre-application times by up to 12 months. This change aims to speed up infrastructure delivery and could save over £1 billion across projects this Parliament.

Key facts

  • The NSIP system's performance has deteriorated, with average project approval time increasing from 2.6 years in 2012 to 4.2 years in 2021.
  • A typical pre-application period could be reduced by up to 12 months following the reforms.
  • Removing statutory consultation requirements is expected to save over £1 billion across projects this Parliament.
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