Planning shortfall still big barrier to infrastructure boom

Tensions heated over the Planning and Infrastructure Bill on Monday after 15 Labour MPs made a last-ditch effort to introduce stricter environmental obligations for developers⁽¹⁾.

Speculation over the threat the Bill poses to environmental protections has dominated media coverage in recent weeks, yet its passage through Parliament has shed further light on the future stability of UK planning capacity.

Many local planning authorities are still operating on the back foot and with access to planning careers impacted by recent apprenticeship cuts, the government’s infrastructure dreams could flop before they fly.

Weighing up planning performance

The Planning and Infrastructure Bill (the Bill) is a central pillar in the government’s growth vision. Its purpose is to make it easier for critical infrastructure and new homes to be built, largely by improving how local planning authorities operate, reforming the compulsory purchase order process, and increasing collaboration between authorities⁽²⁾. The hope is that in cutting red tape and joining up regional planning teams, the government can deliver new projects at pace, limit backlogs and drive economic growth.

A promising vision this may be, but the ability of the UK’s planning capacity to match the Bill’s ambitions remains cause for concern.

Looking at government data from current and previous housing departments, it’s clear a large proportion of development decisions made by district planning authorities are not carried out within statutory deadlines for major (13 weeks) and non-major (8 weeks) work⁽³⁾.

^{Source: Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government (2018 to 2021) and Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities}

The latest data, spanning the two years to end December 2024, shows that of decisions made, around half (50.7%) are undertaken within statutory deadlines while 42.0% of decisions are made in extended time.

However, the reasons for authorities seeking an extension are not automatically an indication of poor performance. Where Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs) are required as part of applications, authorities can take up to 16 weeks to make their decision. Decisions may also be subject to the conditions of a Planning Performance Agreement (PPA) – a framework that outlines how the planning process will be managed.

^{Source: Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government (2018 to 2021) and Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities}

^{Source: Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government (2018 to 2021) and Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities}

In the available government data, extended decisions are not broken down by causation, so it’s difficult to determine how many were delayed due to EIAs and PPAs specifically, or where the planning authority simply requested an Extension of Time (EoT).

That said, the fact that almost half of decisions in 2023 and 2024 needed extra time only serves to reinforce concerns over planning capacity.

Planning in review

In the Planning and Infrastructure Bill’s second Commons reading, Liberal Democrat MP Olly Glover requested a second reading of clause 30 – a condition that would require the Secretary of State to review the capacity of local planning authorities each year⁽⁴⁾. Speaking to the committee, Glover said the Bill will impose a ‘number of additional duties and responsibilities on local planning authorities’ that, coupled with the pressure to meet proposals for housing growth, could stretch their capacity.

Glover’s request was withdrawn after peers drew attention to the Planning Advisory Service (PAS) – a government-funded programme that provides consultancy and peer support to local planning authorities – and the ability of authorities to set their own planning fees under the Bill. The Minister for Housing and Planning, Matthew Pennycook, also pointed to the £46 million investment in planning capacity and capability announced in the Autumn Budget, which includes the proposed training of at least 300 graduate and apprentice planners.

There’s no denying the good the PAS has done, and that planning investment will do. The PAS’s services are free to local authorities and include strategic, in-depth reviews of planning services and many self-serve toolkits and training⁽⁵⁾. While this approach largely relies on local authorities empowering themselves, strong interaction with the PAS suggests many find the service useful. In 2023/24, more than 9,000 people attended planning events, and 21 councils signed up for the first Pathways to Planning cohort after engaging with the PAS⁽⁶⁾.

What’s clear from this and the general speed of planning performance is that challenges in UK planning come down to numbers and security of supply over available guidance and upskilling opportunities.

The government’s recent cuts to level 7 apprenticeships are therefore a major concern. Level 7 Chartered Town Planner apprenticeships are a big inroad for budding planners with the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) noting record numbers of candidates reaching the final stage in 1Q2025⁽⁷⁾. The RTPI-accredited apprenticeship combines academic education with on-the-job learning, providing students with a master’s-equivalent qualification.

The vast majority of apprentices on this course are therefore over the age of 21 which, under new the changes, means future applicants won’t be covered by government funding. For those over the 16-21 age bracket who start higher education later, have difficulty securing a planning job with a bachelor’s degree and no experience, or are looking to move careers, a future in planning is now less accessible⁽⁸⁾.

With big investments in affordable housing, transport and energy infrastructure confirmed in the Spending Review, hampering access to planning careers seems vastly counterproductive.

So, what now?

The long road to upping planning talent

One long-term solution available to the government, local authorities and employers in the wider construction sector is to ramp up engagement with planning as a career option from an earlier age.

New insight from the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) has shown that younger children learn about careers through family, local communities, the media and formal careers-related learning⁽⁹⁾. Where children don’t have this exposure, careers knowledge, horizons and social mobility can all become narrowed.

The CITB report went on to state that early careers-learning can help to tackle this and that key barriers to reaching early years and primary-age children include misconceptions over the quality and salary of construction-based roles.

To this end, it could be beneficial for employers and schools to raise planning’s visibility among families and young children. Improving exposure to clearly defined career opportunities, and routes to secure them, at an earlier stage of learning, could increase the number of 16-21-year-olds considering a planning pathway down the line.

While this does not address the new barrier to securing work experience and a postgraduate qualification via the level 7 apprenticeship, a bigger talent pool could provide employers with more options if experienced planners are in short supply.

Of course, this strategy is not a quick answer to current capacity issues.

More short-term avenues that must be considered by the government include an analysis of the UK’s planning resource. The RTPI has specifically called for a whole-planning system audit to understand historic, present and forecast resourcing changes⁽¹⁰⁾. With this insight, the government and local planning authorities will be able to confirm where the biggest capacity shortfalls lie, and the type of intervention needed to bridge gaps.

The Planning and Infrastructure Bill is undoubtedly a beacon of change, intended to reduce siloed working and increase speed at a planning level.

Neglecting the pipeline of people needed to champion a streamlined planning system, now and in the future, risks putting that beacon out.

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^{(1) Guardian – No 10 blocked nature concessions in planning bill amid Labour rebellion, sources say  - here}

^{(2) GOV.UK – Guide to the Planning and Infrastructure Bill  – here}

^{(3) GOV.UK – Live tables on planning application statistics – here}

^{(4) UK Parliament – Planning and Infrastructure Bill – here}

^{(5) Local Government Association – PAS Solutions  - here}

^{(6) Local Government Association – LGA improvement support: Annual report 2023/24 - here}

^{(7) RTPI – Record number reaching final stage of planner apprenticeships  - here}

^{(8) The Planner – Concerns as government confirms restrictions to level 7 apprenticeships  - here}

^{(9) CITB – Careers in Construction 2025  - here}

^{(10) RTPI – Three steps to a better resourced planning system  - here}