On 11 March, the Government laid before Parliament new legislation that promises to bring in significant changes to the way in which planning decisions may be taken in the UK. The Planning and Infrastructure Bill 2025 will bring in a number of changes that are aimed at assisting the Government in delivering 1.5m new homes. This is the second of two articles on the Bill; last month we looked at changes to planning committees, consultation and fees.

Strategic Planning
The Bill brings back Spatial Development Strategies (“SDSs”) as the much-missed layer of ‘strategic planning’ across England. SDSs will be produced by mayoral, combined, county and unitary authorities, or groups of two or more of these authorities.

SDSs will form part of the statutory development plan. They will be reserved for policies that are of strategic importance to avoid duplication with local plans (and National Development Management Polices in due course). Local plans will have to conform with SDSs. SDSs will apportion housing and affordable housing across local areas. They will also identify strategically important infrastructure for facilitating development, addressing climate change and opportunities for improving the economic, social or environmental well-being of an area. An SDS cannot allocate a site but can relate to part of an area.

Strategic plans must fit together with any nature recovery strategy that is in place, helping to ensure a fully joined-up approach across the country.

Of note are the Secretary of State’s extensive powers to guide and ensure rapid and widespread SDS coverage across England, including power to direct that two or more authorities are to combine to form a strategic planning board and produce an SDS; power to direct policy context; control over the timing for production of an SDS; and powers to prevent withdrawal of an SDS, step in and recover costs of preparing an SDS and direct a review and replacement of an SDS.