Planning Reform

The government's planning reform programme includes the 'Planning for a Sustainable Future: White Paper', the 'Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act', changes to secondary legislation, reviews of planning policy guidance and a change in culture for the whole of the planning system.

Planning for a Sustainable Future: White Paper

The White Paper sets out our detailed proposals for reform of the planning system, building on Kate Barker’s recommendations for improving the speed, responsiveness and efficiency in land use planning, and taking forward Kate Barker’s and Rod Eddington’s proposals for reform of major infrastructure planning.

It proposes reforms on how we take decisions on nationally significant infrastructure projects - including energy, waste, waste-water and transport - responding to the challenges of economic globalisation and climate change.

It also proposes further reforms to the Town and Country Planning system, building on the recent improvements to make it more efficient and more responsive.

The White Paper asks a range of questions about our proposals, which are brought together in Annex A of the White Paper. They are also available as a separate consultation document.

• View 'Planning for a Sustainable Future: White Paper' here.
• View the consultation here (Closing Date: 17th August 2007).

The Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act

The Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act is a key element of government's agenda for improving and speeding up the planning system.

The goal of the Act is to give effect to the government's policy on the reform of the planning system.

• View details of the new act and how it will affect the planning system here
• View the full text of the Act here

Sustainable Communities

The principal features of the planning reform agenda were set out in the policy statement (pub. Jul 2002) Sustainable Communities: Delivering through Planning.

• View further government responses to the green paper consultation here.

Planning Green Paper

The Sustainable Communities paper took forward proposals outlined in the Green Paper (pub. Dec 2001) Planning: Delivering a Fundamental Change.

• View responses to the Green Paper and other associated documents here.

Planning reform in Wales

The Welsh Assembly Government (WAG) has published its own consultation paper (Jan 2002) Planning Delivering for Wales.

The Bill gives effect to the WAG's policy formed following responses to a consultation document announced in November 2002.

For more information on planning reform in Wales, click here.