Designing Buildings (DB), host platform to the IHBC’s Conservation Wiki, offers a summary update of the government’s Planning and Infrastructure Bill (PIB).
DB writes:
Nature of the Bill
The first reading of the Planning and Infrastructure Bill (PIB) was in March 2025, after a number on amendments the final reading of the Bill occurred on 24 November, 2025 with the date of Royal Assent to be announced. The long title of the PIB is described as ‘A Bill to make provision about infrastructure; to make provision about town and country planning; to make provision for a scheme, administered by Natural England, for a nature restoration levy payable by developers; to make provision about development corporations; to make provision about the compulsory purchase of land; to make provision about environmental outcomes reports; and for connected purposes.’
The PIB underpins the government’s strategy to accelerate housing and infrastructure delivery by streamlining planning processes, enabling 1.5 million new homes, fast-tracking major infrastructure decisions, and supporting the Clean Power 2030 target through quicker approval of key clean-energy projects. It marks another major milestone in the governments reform programme, and follows significant reforms to the planning system, including the publication of the revised, pro-growth NPPF in December 2024.
Support and concern
Not long before completion of the final reading of the PIB, on 16 November, 2025 the Sixth Report of Session 2024–26 HC 439 of the Environmental Audit Committee was published: Environmental sustainability and housing growth. In this report it was indicated that the PIB ‘aims to reform the planning system in England and streamline the delivery of new homes and critical infrastructure. The Bill’s scope extends beyond housing, addressing matters such as transport infrastructure and improvements to the Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects (NSIP) regime, to enhance project efficiency. It will also introduce the Nature Restoration Fund and Environmental Delivery Plans, which aim to help housing developers meet their environmental obligations while achieving property delivery targets.’
The same report argued that England can meet its housing target without sacrificing nature or climate goals, but only if major gaps in planning policy, environmental safeguards, carbon regulation, and cross-government coordination are fixed. It warned that current reforms risk weakening protections, highlighting the need to prioritise retrofit over carbon-intensive new build, and stressing that serious skills shortages threaten effective delivery. Overall, it concluded that both housing and environmental objectives remain achievable but require stronger governance, better data, and urgent action on its recommended reforms. See also Environmental Audit Committee: Environmental sustainability and housing growth.
Government objectives
Delivering a faster and more certain consenting process for critical infrastructure – The Bill streamlines NSIP processes, updates policy frameworks, and limits legal delays to speed up delivery of major infrastructure and clean-energy projects.
Introducing a more strategic approach to nature recovery – It creates a Nature Restoration Fund to enable development while driving nature recovery beyond basic mitigation.
Improving certainty and decision-making in the planning system – The Bill strengthens planning committees, boosts professional planner capacity, and improves funding so decisions are faster and more consistent.
Unlocking land and securing public value for large scale investment – It reforms compulsory purchase and strengthens development corporations to assemble land efficiently and deliver public-interest development.
Introducing effective new mechanisms for cross-boundary strategic planning – The Bill enables sub-regional Spatial Development Strategies to coordinate housing and infrastructure needs across local authority boundaries.
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See more IHBC NewsBlog links on the Bill, and much more, HERE
