Planning and Infrastructure Act 2025

The Planning and Infrastructure Act 2025 introduces far-reaching reform of planning, infrastructure and environmental policy. It creates Environmental Delivery Plans and a nature restoration levy paid by developers to fund conservation measures overseen by Natural England, with reporting and remedial actions if plans fall short. It also overhauls the nationally significant infrastructure project regime, introduces a spatial development strategy framework led by strategic planning boards, expands development corporation powers, and updates energy, transport and cross-border planning arrangements.

Baroness Taylor says the UK and Welsh governments will launch a public consultation on reforming reservoir safety, including a new hazard classification and rules for low- hazard reservoirs. After the consultation, proposals would be finalised and drafted into legislation to be passed by Parliament and the Senedd, with secondary legislation likely by 2027/8 depending on the outcome; in the meantime regulators will push forward non-legislative safety improvements and Defra will announce the consultation and publish information on the Reservoir Safety Reform page.

The Lords are considering an amendment to Clause 51 that would require the first regulations under sections 319ZZC or 319ZZD of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 to be laid before Parliament and approved by both Houses, with later regulations potentially subject to annulment by either House (except the first). The Commons oppose using an affirmative procedure for these regulations and propose altering the Lords’ amendment by removing the cited annulment provision. The debate moves toward reconciling positions, with Baroness Taylor of Stevenage set to move on whether the Lords should agree with the Commons’ revised amendment (33C).

Lords Amendment 33 would require the first regulations made under certain planning acts to be laid before both Houses and approved by a resolution (affirmative procedure), with later regulations able to be annulled by either House. The Commons oppose using affirmative procedure for these regulations and, while not insisting on disagreement, propose to amend the Lords amendment by deleting lines 7–9 of 33C, effectively narrowing it. The Lords maintain the amendment and want the Commons to reconsider.