CBI responds to publication of Planning and Infrastructure Bill - March 2025

John Foster, Chief Policy and Campaigns Officer, CBI, said:

"Unlocking private investment is the catalyst for the productivity gains needed to deliver long-term sustainable growth. Planning reform and infrastructure delivery are top priorities for the CBI and our members. Reform is essential to enable the government to hit the target of building 1.5m homes and approving 150 major infrastructure projects in this Parliament.

"For too long, businesses have incurred the long delays, permission refusals and burdensome regulations that are intertwined with the planning system. Firms have also been impacted by slow infrastructure delivery, with the high industrial energy prices weakening our competitiveness and poor public transport holding back productivity.

"The focus in this Bill on reducing bureaucracy in the NSIP regime to ensure faster delivery, alongside measures curbing judicial reviews and introducing mandatory training for councillors sitting on planning committees represents a significant stride forward in the mission to reform the planning system.

"These reforms will put in place the building blocks to create a planning system that is smoother, swifter and better calibrated to attract the private capital needed to spread prosperity across every corner of the country."