Plans to rebuild Britain

Encouraging Britain to build more housing and infrastructure, including through planning reform, is central to the new UK government’s plans to strengthen economic growth.

In the first State Opening of Parliament under this government, the King’s Speech unveiled more than 35 bills and draft bills to support delivery of Labour’s first steps and missions to rebuild Britain.

The package of bills focused on growing the economy through better transport, more jobs and turbocharging the building of houses and infrastructure.

The Planning and Infrastructure Bill aims to speed up and streamline the planning process to build more homes of all tenures and accelerate the delivery of major infrastructure projects.

By enabling democratic engagement with how, not if, homes and infrastructure are built – the major brakes on the planning system will be addressed to support sustainable growth, it was pledged.

Muyiwa Oki, president of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), responded to the announcements:

He said: “The government has set out an ambitious parliamentary agenda – now, we need action.

“Delivering high-quality, sustainable buildings and places will be at the heart of growing the economy.

“So, commitments to overhaul the planning system and strengthen the capacity of local planning authorities through the proposed Planning and Infrastructure Bill are welcome.

“Plans for Great British Energy to cut bills and tackle the rising cost of living are also encouraging, but they must be accompanied by measures to reduce energy use in our homes, through a National Retrofit Strategy.

“We look forward to working with the government to help deliver on these pledges – harnessing the knowledge, expertise, and experience of architects to create a better future for all.”