The Planning and Infrastructure Bill returns to Parliament for its second reading today.

The government says the reforms will unlock economic growth and accelerate delivery of homes and critical infrastructure - and are expected to bring jobs and opportunity across the country

Deputy prime minister Angela Rayner has warned there is “no time to waste” as she urged Parliament to back key legislation needed to speed up the delivery of the Plan for Change milestone of 1.5 million homes and deliver the vital infrastructure this country needs.

Significant reforms will be introduced through the bill to speed up planning decisions, remove unnecessary blockers and challenges to housing development and major infrastructure projects like windfarms, while at the same time delivering for the environment through the new Nature Restoration Fund.

Deputy prime minister and housing secretary, Angela Rayner, said: “We have no time to waste in bringing the housing crisis we’ve inherited to an end, not only for those struggling to get onto the housing ladder but for the families and young children who are stuck in temporary accommodation.

“That’s why it is so crucial that we get Britain building and the return of the landmark Planning and Infrastructure Bill to Parliament today represents another step forward in achieving this goal.

“But to ensure we can prove the naysayers wrong, and deliver on our Plan for Change target to build the 1.5 million homes and crucial infrastructure this country needs, we need to make our planning reforms law as quickly as possible.

“This is why today I am urging Parliament to back this Bill and ensure we can deliver the change so many people want to see.”

Key measures in the bill include:

• Overhauling planning decisions through the introduction of a national scheme of delegation to set out which applications should be determined by officers and which should go to committee, speeding up the approval process for new development.
• Establishing a Nature Restoration Fund to deliver a win-win for both the economy and nature ensuring builders can meet their environmental obligations faster.
• Strengthening the compulsory purchase process to acquire land for projects that are in the public interest and ensure compensation paid to landowners is not excessive.
• Giving additional powers to development corporations to make it easier when delivering large-scale developments, including the next generation of new towns.
• Reducing the burdensome consultation process when seeking approval for major infrastructure projects, including reservoirs, windfarms, roads and railway lines.
• Prioritising approved clean energy projects, such as wind and solar, for grid connections with a new ‘first ready, first connected’ system.
• Limiting the number of times that government decisions on major infrastructure projects can be legally challenged, with only one attempt for meritless cases.
• People living near new electricity transmission infrastructure will also receive up to £2,500 over 10 years off their energy bills, ensuring those hosting vital infrastructure can benefit from supporting this nationally critical mission.