Government to fast-track major infrastructure projects
Major infrastructure projects will be delivered more quickly through a new fast-track planning route, the secretary of state for levelling up Greg Clark has announced.
New powers will mean shorter deadlines can be set for examinations of Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects, with the relevant secretary of the state deciding on whether to put the shorter deadline in place.
Decisions on smaller (non-material) changes to projects that have already been approved can also be made much more quickly, reversing the up to 16 months delays to projects that can cause significant interruptions to delivery.
In a statement, Clark said: “Particularly in a time of high inflation, things need to be done more quickly or costs of major infrastructure projects will rise.
“These changes will help deliver new infrastructure more quickly, by speeding up the planning process which often moves too slowly.”
The government will make the changes to the Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects process through amendments to the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill.
The announcement on August 30, 2022 forms part of plans to speed up the planning process for large-scale projects and builds on efforts in the Energy Security Strategy to make sure Britain is building the infrastructure it needs faster than before.
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