As the Labour Government continues to enact relentless change across a wide spectrum of policy areas, nowhere has this process been more rapid than in the area of planning policy. Since the General Election we have already seen the reintroduction of mandatory housing targets, a new National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) which reversed many of the measures introduced under the previous Conservative administration and we now have the Planning and Infrastructure Bill which was presented to the House of Commons last week.

With the Government claiming to be committed to a laser-like focus on economic growth there is a clear realisation in Whitehall that the liberalisation of the planning regime is crucial in achieving this goal especially as it is buffeted by the adverse economic consequences of global conflicts and the Trump tariffs. So the questions are will the Bill deliver economic growth and how will it impact on local government?