Morning, Tuesday, 15th July 2025
Online
This conference focuses on recent developments and proposed changes to the planning system in England, within the context of the Government’s target to deliver 1.5 million new homes during the current Parliament.
It follows the recent announcement in Spending Review 2025 of a £39bn 10-year Affordable Homes Programme, providing grants to local authorities, private developers and housing associations, with aims to increase house building and improve partnerships with the private sector.
The conference is bringing stakeholders and policymakers together to discuss implementation of new measures in the National Planning Policy Framework, as well as looking ahead at proposals in the Planning and Infrastructure Bill, which aims to fast track planning approvals with concerns surrounding planning permission approvals dropping to a 13 year low in the first quarter of 2025, and that provisions in the Bill will weaken environmental protections.
Sessions will also explore implications of the new National Housing Bank recently announced by Government, aimed at unlocking finance for local infrastructure and providing long-term loans to support affordable and mixed-tenure housing projects.
The implications of the recently published UK Infrastructure: A 10 Year Strategy will be discussed, with the commitment for a new national infrastructure spatial digital tool to support local infrastructure investment decisions being led by NISTA. Delegates will discuss more widely the implications of transitioning to a spatial system, including whether current reforms introduce effective mechanisms to support collaborations on the local, regional and national levels.
Impact of planning reforms
It will be an opportunity to discuss priorities and concerns that have been raised around the potential impact and practical implications of mandatory housing targets for councils. Areas for discussion include the capacity of local authority planners to manage increased applications, and wider strategic considerations if policy ambitions for delivery of social and affordable housing are to be achieved, including build quality and sustainability.
The future framework for consent processes and delegation of planning decisions and fees - as proposed in the Planning and Infrastructure Bill - will also be discussed, as the Government also consults on the reform of Planning Committees. Delegates will consider whether these reforms will lead to significant reductions in planning approval decision timescales as intended, as well as their impact on local input and industry predictability and efficiency. Discussion is also expected around golden rules and updated definitions of green belt and grey belt. Delegates are also expected to assess how planning changes intersect with infrastructure funding allocations outlined in the UK Infrastructure: A 10 Year Strategy, including support for utilities, transport interchanges, and digital connectivity.
Spatial Development Strategies and Compulsory Purchase Orders
Attendees will also explore approaches to unlocking potential sites for building, including the impact of introducing Spatial Development Strategies (SDSs) on accelerating development. They will also look ahead to their preparation and implementation, and mechanisms for collaboration in developments which cover different local authorities. The effectiveness of proposed reforms to Compulsory Purchase Orders will also be discussed, focusing on reducing timescales, administrative costs, and equity considerations for compensation.
As local and combined authorities begin to consider the implementation of SDSs, delegates will consider initial proposals in the London Plan, with the Mayor of London committing to delivering 880,000 homes over the next decade from 2026/27. Areas for discussion include practical approaches to delivering homes at the proposed scale, including reducing the lag between planning and approval and development, as well as practicalities for green belt release, affordable housing targets, and reducing barriers to development, including approaches to increase housing density.
Supporting delivery of housing
Further sessions will explore key strategies for supporting housebuilding, assessing remaining barriers to housing delivery and the likely impact of the recently announced Affordable Housing Programme. Delegates will consider implications of affordability requirements for the construction industry and supporting SME developers amidst high building costs, with proposals in the Planning Reform Working paper: Reforming Site Thresholds outlining intentions to alter site thresholds and streamline planning and biodiversity requirements for small and medium sites.
Sessions will also consider the impact of further proposals from the Planning Reform Working Paper: Speeding Up Build Out, which would require developers to commit to delivery timelines in the pre-planning approval, with local authorities to apply a Delayed Homes Penalty in cases where progress is substantially behind agreed timescales. Progress under the New Homes Accelerator Programme will be considered, alongside discussions on further regulatory reform, as well as key reflections on the impact of capital and departmental funding settlements at the Spending Review 2025. Additional focus will be placed on how the UK Infrastructure: A 10 Year Strategy seeks to coordinate investment across housing, transport, flood defence, and utility networks to improve delivery certainty.
Delegates will examine the impact of reform to the Statutory Consultee system and consider priorities relating to the Government’s review into the operation of quangos, including possible implications for environmental protection, transport and housebuilding. Related areas for discussion include the delivery of required infrastructure to support new developments, placemaking considerations, and ensuring access to community amenities, nature, and transport.
Environmental protections and nature recovery
We expect discussion at the conference to bring out latest thinking on the impact of proposed changes to environmental protection measures, including implementation of streamlined Environmental Outcome Reports and a Nature Restoration Fund, pooling of contributions for larger interventions, and wider options for assisting developers in meeting environmental obligations. The environmental impact of green and grey belt reforms will also be discussed, as well as looking ahead at environmental considerations following Government’s recent consultation on its forthcoming Land Use Framework.
All delegates will be able to contribute to the output of the conference, which will be shared with parliamentary, ministerial, departmental and regulatory offices, and more widely. This includes the full proceedings and additional articles submitted by delegates. As well as key stakeholders, those due to attend include parliamentary pass-holders from the House of Commons and officials from MHCLG; Defra; DBT; DfT; Homes England; Active Travel England; MOJ; NAO; OEP; and Ofwat.
