ICE submission to the Public Bill Committee on the Planning and Infrastructure Bill

The UK government’s Planning and Infrastructure Bill aims to support delivery of its 10-year infrastructure strategy.

The ICE submitted evidence on the proposed changes to the Public Bill Committee.

It made the following key points:

• The Planning and Infrastructure Bill is much needed and could streamline the planning system. The proposals to accelerate the delivery of Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects (NSIPs) are positive.
• By providing more certainty in the planning system the bill will go some way to rebuilding investor confidence in the UK as an attractive place to deliver infrastructure.
• Ensuring National Policy Statements are regularly reviewed and updated is welcome. However, the work involved should not be underestimated. Certainty could be undermined if regular updates merely enable successive governments to overturn decisions agreed during the previous parliament.
• Streamlining the planning system alone is not a silver bullet. Many issues with strategic infrastructure planning and delivery will still need to be addressed through the 10-Year Infrastructure Strategy and the National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority (NISTA).
• Major infrastructure projects can span multiple parliaments, and certainty must be maintained throughout a project's lifespan. The government must also prioritise a more joined-up approach to strategic infrastructure planning and prioritisation.
• The bill goes some way towards better integrating climate resilience into the planning system. However, more clarity is needed from the government about its plans for infrastructure climate resilience. A priority should be implementing Schedule 3 of the Flood and Water Management Act (2010) as soon as possible.
• The Nature Restoration Fund and a more strategic approach to mitigating the environmental impacts of development could provide a coordinated programme of nature improvement and generate benefits from the investment. However, consideration must be given to the burden this may place on delivery bodies.
• More proactive engagement with the public in infrastructure planning and decision-making can increase support for infrastructure projects and deliver co-benefits.