More gigafactories, solar farms, roads and railway lines are set to be green lighted in the next five years, adding billions to the economy, as part of stretching new milestones set out by the government.

Planning decisions for major infrastructure projects are set to soar, ramping up economic growth, with at least 150 applications to be decided, as part of the ambitious Plan for Change.

The government says investment in major infrastructure is key to delivering growth and will help improve people’s lives through additional jobs, better connectivity and cheaper energy bills.

Prime minster Keir Starmer said he was setting out ambitions for a “mission-led government”.

The new milestone asks secretaries of states to turbocharge decisions on major infrastructure projects – almost tripling the 57 decisions made in the previous Parliament and more than the total number of decisions made since 2011.This is alongside building 1.5 million homes.

While the forthcoming Planning and Infrastructure Bill will set out how the delivery process for critical infrastructure is streamlined, including accelerating upgrades to the national grid and boosting renewable energy.

New 10-year strategies for housing and infrastructure will also be published in the spring, providing a roadmap for future investment and economic growth.

The government says it will simplify the consenting process for major infrastructure projects, providing greater certainty to developers and boosting economic growth.

It says this will help ensure projects are not unnecessarily delayed, so they can be brought forward quicker and provide greater confidence to prospective investors.

Compared to the eight decisions that were approved across the entirety of 2023, the government has already approved six new major projects on transport and energy infrastructure.

Including a new terminal at the Port of Immingham on the Humber Estuary, four new solar farms and overhead and underground cable electric lines from Bramford, Suffolk to Twinstead in Essex.

In response to the announcement, National Infrastructure Commission chair Sir John Armitt, said: “Signing off 150 development consent orders is a huge undertaking, but essential given the sheer magnitude of transformative infrastructure the country needs.”

He said these included at least 17 major electricity transmission projects to deliver clean power by 2030 and ramped up renewable generation; at least nine major water storage and transfer programmes to keep the taps running; and progress on major projects like East West Rail and Lower Thames Crossing to speed up the country’s transport networks.

He added: “Government’s chances of success will depend on turning its early commitments into sustained action to jump start a lethargic planning system and ensure it becomes a tool for progress rather than an anchor on UK growth.

“For starters, that means giving the Planning Inspectorate the additional resources it will need to deal with the increased throughput of projects.”