The Infrastructure Bill was laid before the UK parliament today. Under its proposals, certain types of planning conditions attached to planning permissions will be able to be discharged automatically (88-page / 361 KB PDF) if a local planning authority has not notified the developer of their decision within a prescribed time period.
The Bill also enables the secretary of state to makes schemes to transfer publicly owned land to the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA). Under the proposals, purchasers of such land from the HCA would be able to carry out construction work on the land even if it breaches certain rights and restrictions attached to the land.
The measures set out in the Infrastructure Bill were first announced earlier this week in the Queen's speech. The government said in a briefing note that the proposed planning law reforms contained in the Bill were aimed at improving the UK's economic competitiveness.
