28/04/2025
The government has announced a suite of reforms of the planning and infrastructure regime, which among other things, is designed to support the development of clean energy and give Britain greater energy independence.
The Planning and Infrastructure Bill, introduced to Parliament in March 2025, aims to streamline planning processes for national infrastructure developments - including clean energy - and seeks to attract billions in investment, give consumers greater fuel security and help achieve net zero goals. In his Ministerial statement, Matthew Pennycook, Minister of State for Housing and Planning set out the need for a planning application process which “considers the correct statutory and technical issues in a timely and proportionate manner, enabling confident and timely decision making.”
Key features of the reforms relating to clean energy
The overall aim of the reforms is to streamline the path from concept to construction for clean energy projects including wind farms, solar power, hydrogen hubs and more. There will be a major overhaul of the Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects (NSIP) regime, currently regulated by the Planning Act 2008, to reduce barriers to delivery of large scale projects and ensure greater flexibility in delivery of national infrastructure.
There will also be regular updates to National Policy Statements (NPS), which underpin planning decisions. These updates will be made every five years to ensure that they reflect current technologies and government priorities and ambitions as well as reflecting court decisions which have been issued.
Other proposed changes are:
- Fast-tracking clean energy: Decisions on grid connections for onshore and offshore wind, solar power, hydrogen, carbon capture and nuclear power stations, will be fast –tracked replacing the ‘first come, first served’ process, and the wait for new grid connections will be cut by up to 7 years;
- Improving certainty in the NSIP consenting process: reducing opportunities for legal challenges that might block the development of national infrastructure;
- Unlocking land: opening up more sites for development and ensuring fairer compensation to landowners through the compulsory purchase order process enabling development corporations to operate effectively; and
- New mechanisms for cross-boundary strategic planning: Spatial Development Strategies to facilitate effective cross-boundary working to address development and infrastructure needs.
Clean Power 2030 Action Plan
As well as bringing forward the Planning and Infrastructure Bill, the UK Government has set out its ambition to transition to an electricity system with the following characteristics in a typical weather year:
- Clean sources produce at least as much power as Great Britain consumes in total; and
- Clean sources produce at least 95% of Great Britain’s generation.
There are a number of measures included in the Planning and Infrastructure Bill which are specifically aimed at bringing forward the Government’s Clean Power 2030 Action Plan. Under powers provided in the Planning and Infrastructure Bill, households within 500 metres of new pylons will receive electricity bill discounts of up to £2,500 over 10 years and the Government is proposing to make it easier, cheaper and faster to install electric vehicle charge points on public roads by replacing street works licences with permits.
Geopolitical instability has contributed to rising costs for British consumers due to continued reliance on fossil fuels. The Clean Power 2030 Action Plan seeks to make use of Britain’s natural resources supporting a switch to clean ‘home-grown’ energy.
It is anticipated that these measures will unlock £200 billion of investment as well as creating thousands of jobs across the country. The Government has detailed in its ‘Plan for Change’ the goal to make Britain a clean energy ‘superpower’ by securing home-grown energy. Part of this plan includes a pledge to make planning decisions on at least 150 major infrastructure projects, spanning wind, solar, and hydrogen. 10 projects have been agreed so far, amounting to nearly 3 gigawatts of new clean energy for Britain.
While the full details are not yet known, the proposed reforms on both a legislative and policy basis show a clear acceleration in the clean energy agenda. The Government is taking a proactive approach to identifying priority projects and removing barriers to their development. The message to investors, developers, local communities and other stakeholders is that clean energy is a priority and so now is the time to engage and be part of the momentum.
If you would like to speak to any of our energy or planning experts please contact Priscilla Allen.
