Proposed adaptations in planning aim to smoothen UK infrastructure development
The United Kingdom government has unveiled a comprehensive spatial planning strategy for infrastructure development, aiming to create a more coordinated, efficient, and transparent pipeline for long-term growth. This strategy, published on July 14, 2025, integrates infrastructure investment across different sectors and geographies to address both national and local needs such as housing, energy, and transport [1][5].
At the heart of this strategy is a new National Infrastructure Spatial Tool (NISTA), a digital platform that consolidates strategies, data, and modeling to strengthen the evidence base for place-based infrastructure investment decisions. This tool is designed to complement the Government’s Land Use Framework, scheduled for release later in 2025, and will provide a data-driven platform to support coordinated investment decisions [1][5].
To improve the efficiency of the consent process for major infrastructure projects, the government is proposing planning reforms. The Planning and Infrastructure Bill, for instance, aims to fast-track 150 planning decisions on major infrastructure projects before the end of the current Parliament. This reform seeks to remove barriers and streamline decision-making, ensuring major projects can progress more rapidly and predictably [1][5].
Regional initiatives, such as Scotland’s Green Freeports Planning and Consents National Protocol and Wales’s new Significant Infrastructure Consent regime, also reflect this wider effort. These initiatives aim to decentralize and streamline consent processes, invest more resources into planning authorities, and foster improved collaboration among stakeholders [2].
The strategy also prioritises energy projects, aligning with strategic plans like the Clean Power 2030 Action Plan and Centralised Strategic Network Plan. National policy statements are being updated to provide clear priorities for developers and decision-makers, and commercial infrastructure such as gigafactories, laboratories, and data centres can opt into or out of the NSIP regime [1].
The UK government's spatial planning approach is not limited to infrastructure development. It also seeks to address objections to new developments and support the delivery of water, energy, and transport infrastructure for new housing. Judicial review reforms are being introduced to reduce meritless claims against development consent orders [1].
The strategy also includes proposals for biannual 'spatial' planning updates and the reintroduction of housing targets to deliver 580,000 new homes. Local plans will need to follow the spatial plan produced by strategic planning boards. The government also intends to ensure the planning system is well-resourced by allowing full cost recovery for NSIP-related services for the Planning Inspectorate and other statutory bodies [1].
Improved local authority funding is planned to modernize planning committees for a more efficient and better-informed decision-making process. The government has set up the National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority (NISTA) to reform institutions, and the Planning and Infrastructure Bill contains a role for strategic planning boards to produce spatial development strategies [1].
The strategy supports the construction of a third Heathrow runway, a significant move towards improving the UK's infrastructure for international travel and trade [1]. This comprehensive spatial planning strategy, supported by advanced digital tools and targeted planning reforms, is expected to drive long-term growth and improve delivery certainty in the UK's infrastructure sector.
[1] UK Government (2025). National Infrastructure Strategy. Retrieved from https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-infrastructure-strategy [2] Scottish Government (2025). Green Freeports Planning and Consents National Protocol. Retrieved from https://www.gov.scot/publications/green-freeports-planning-and-consents-national-protocol/ [3] Welsh Government (2025). Significant Infrastructure Consent Regime. Retrieved from https://gov.wales/significant-infrastructure-consent-regime [4] Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (2025). Planning and Infrastructure Bill. Retrieved from https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/planning-and-infrastructure-bill [5] National Infrastructure and Spatial Analysis (2025). National Infrastructure Spatial Tool. Retrieved from https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-infrastructure-spatial-tool
- The National Infrastructure Spatial Tool (NISTA) will support coordinated business decisions in the real-estate and commercial sectors, as it plays a crucial role in evidence-based place-based infrastructure investment decisions, aligning with the Government’s Land Use Framework.
- The strategy emphasizes the importance of financing energy projects, as it prioritizes energy projects, aligning with strategic plans like the Clean Power 2030 Action Plan and Centralised Strategic Network Plan, and national policy statements provide clear priorities for developers and decision-makers.
- The Planning and Infrastructure Bill seeks to streamline the process of investing in major infrastructure projects, particularly in the commercial sector, as it aims to fast-track 150 planning decisions on major infrastructure projects to ensure projects progress more rapidly and predictably.
