Planning and Infrastructure Bill
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| Long title | A Bill to make provision about infrastructure; to make provision about town and country planning; to make provision for a scheme, administered by Natural England, for a nature restoration levy payable by developers; to make provision about development corporations; to make provision about the compulsory purchase of land; to make provision about environmental outcomes reports; and for connected purposes. |
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| Citation |
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| Introduced by | Angela Rayner MP (Commons) Baroness Taylor of Stevenage (Lords) |
| Territorial extent | England and Wales |
Status: Pending | |
| History of passage through Parliament | |
The Planning and Infrastructure Bill is a bill in the Parliament of the United Kingdom which proposes significant change to planning law in the United Kingdom.
Provisions
[edit]The legislation reduces the number of available legal challenges to planning decisions from three to at most two.[1]
The legislation moves more decisions away from councillors and towards council officers.[2]
The Nature Restoration Fund would be established and managed by Natural England.[3] The legislation allows developers to contribute to the fund as part of meeting their environmental obligations.[4]
Reception
[edit]The legislation was described by Wildlife Trusts as a "trojan horse", describing it as giving developers "cash to trash" green spaces and a "licence to destroy" nature.[5]
The Office for Environmental Protection criticised certain parts as weakening environmental protections, but supported most of the bill.[6][7]
References
[edit]- ^ "Five key changes set out in the Planning and Infrastructure Bill". Institute for Government. 24 March 2025. Retrieved 1 August 2025.
- ^ Coates, Sam (11 March 2025). "New planning bill could be the government's most important - but will it work in practice?". Sky News. Archived from the original on 9 June 2025. Retrieved 31 July 2025.
- ^ "Government plan 'threat to nature', charity says". BBC News. 31 July 2025. Archived from the original on 21 April 2025. Retrieved 31 July 2025.
- ^ Taylor, Harry (10 June 2025). "Fears of damage to nature from Labour planning reforms overblown, minister says". The |ndependent. Archived from the original on 31 July 2025. Retrieved 31 July 2025.
- ^ McGuckin, Imogen (22 June 2025). "Why ecologists say Planning Bill is a 'Trojan horse' invading our green spaces". ITV News. Archived from the original on 31 July 2025. Retrieved 31 July 2025.
- ^ George, Sarah (2 May 2025). "Planning & Infrastructure Bill 'weakens environmental protections', watchdog warns". Edie. Archived from the original on 5 May 2025. Retrieved 31 July 2025.
- ^ Thompson, Sophie (31 July 2025). "Planning for both people and nature is not a contradiction". Building Design. Archived from the original on 31 July 2025. Retrieved 31 July 2025.