King’s Speech 2024: Examining how planning law changes could affect you

Planning reform is a vital part of the new government’s plans to ‘kickstart’ growth. To achieve this growth the government has proposed the Planning and Infrastructure Bill. The Bill aims to, “unlock more housing and infrastructure across the country and support sustained economic growth” across both England and Wales. The King himself said in his speech that “My ministers will get Britain building, including through planning reform, as they seek to accelerate the delivery of high-quality infrastructure and housing.” The aim is clear, and the new government seeks to achieve it through several proposed changes outlined within the Bill. These changes include simplifying the consent process, modernising planning committees, reforming the rules for compulsory purchase compensation by ensuring that compensation to landowners is “fair but not excessive”, balancing the need for development with the rights of property owners and unlocking new Development sites. Although these changes are not currently clearly defined, it is still vital that those involved in construction are aware of these changes that are coming.

How they will affect you

The proposed changes in the Bill are widely considered by industry experts to be positive ones, but equally with change comes uncertainty and new obstacles to overcome. Forbes can help navigate this shifting landscape and help you and your businesses take full advantage of these new legal changes.

The Bill is popular for a few main reasons, firstly it aims to simplify the consent process for significant infrastructure projects. This intends to reduce the time and resources clients spend on obtaining approvals. Secondly, it seeks to modernise planning committees, with the ultimate end goal being that decision-making becomes quicker. At Forbes we can provide guidance on engaging with these committees effectively, to help secure the most favourable result possible.

To promote development, the government will allow councils to purchase land through Compulsory Purchase Orders, this seeks to balance fair compensation with the need for development. The Bill also hopes to unlock new developments sites across the nation, using grey belt land and by improving land assembly processes. New environmental obligations have been proposed by the Bill, that aim to incentivise nature recovery projects. With these new obligations comes new hurdles that business and individuals will be required to overcome.  At Forbes we can advise on how to meet these requirements and always ensure your compliance.

Conclusion

The proposed bill highlighted in the King’s speech and the general changes that we can expect under the new Labour government create an exciting time to be involved in the construction industry. Here at Forbes, we can help navigate this exciting time in several ways. Firstly, we can help navigate the new reforms and help guarantee compliance with the new regulations. We can also assist in any negotiations you may be involved in and if things go wrong, we can assist with any dispute resolution required. Finally, we can provide strategic advice on land acquisitions, compensation and the opportunities the new reform brings.