NPPF Deep Dive: Infrastructure September 2024

Slides from the NPPF Deep Dive workshop on Infrastructure from 17 September 2024.

1. NPPF Policy Workshop: Infrastructure 17 September 2024 – Online 10:00 am Please login to Slido to ask questions a nd respond to polls Slido link: https://app.sli.do/event/gbvHxP1SbVNqU6d3EERZwq Use code: 3253773

2. Welcome Meet the team This is the fourth of our policy workshops Help you to frame a response And understand the wider context Been to a PAS event before? Frank, friendly Honest – we won’t have all the answers Interactive – please ask questions / share thoughts in the comments – log into Slido Adobe Stock

3. Agenda Welcome and Introduction Slido Polls – Your role and projects MHCLG Presentation – Delivering community needs Q and A and discussion on key consultation questions MHCLG presentation – Nationally Significant Infrastructure Q and A and discussion on key consultation questions Bringing it all together - Group Feedback Summary and Close

4. PAS who are we / what do we do? Grant funded – MHCLG (Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government) Part of the local government association (LGA) Our grant £ = supporting Local Planning Authorities (LPAs) to: Interpret national planning system & respond to change Improve and innovate plan making and decision taking Share ideas and examples of what works best

5. Housekeeping Opportunity to provide constructive feedback in collaborative way There will be some interactive polls It is impossible to cover everything today - remember this is a consultation We will capture, share and reflect on all of your questions and encourage you to respond using Citizen Space on MHCLG’s website We will also send you an evaluation form afterwards – please complete this

6. Context Pre-election: Labour Manifesto Labour Government – Five Missions Planning Reform – Written Ministerial Statement July 2024 Housing delivery – 1.5 million homes Shutterstock

7. Infrastructure and delivery The 1.5 million homes target depends on strong infrastructure to ensure accessibility and essential services. Developer contributions are an important sources of funding infrastructure – need to balancing delivery without stalling development. Absence of proper infrastructure planning, can detrimentally impact existing and new communities and businesses and lead to negative perception of new development New focus on logistics and digital infrastructure reflects broader economic shifts – more on this from MHCLG colleagues later Effective infrastructure planning is key to delivering projects at both local and national levels.

8. National Infrastructure Planning Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects (NSIP) Major infrastructure projects introduced under the 2008 Planning Act are known as Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects (NSIPs). Projects are classified under six general areas of energy; transport; water; wastewater; waste; and business and commercial.  The thresholds which define a NSIP for each type of infrastructure are set out in sections 15 - 30 of the Planning Act 2008.  A Development Consent Order (DCO) is granted by relevant SoS upon approval of a DCO application for a NSIP. The development consent regime is managed by PINS and underpinned by a series of National Policy Statements (NPS).

9. Infrastructure and delivery The 1.5 million homes target depends on strong infrastructure to ensure accessibility and essential services. Developer contributions are an important sources of funding infrastructure – need to balancing delivery without stalling development. Absence of proper infrastructure planning, can detrimentally impact existing and new communities and businesses and lead to negative perception of new development New focus on logistics and digital infrastructure reflects broader economic shifts – more on this from MHCLG colleagues later Effective infrastructure planning is key to delivering projects at both local and national levels.

10. About you Polls 1 - your role and projects Please login to Slido to ask questions / answer polls through the session. Slido link: https://app.sli.do/event/gbvHxP1SbVNqU6d3EERZwq Use code: 3253773

11. NPPF Policy Workshop: Meeting Community Needs Christina Davey, Gemma Burgess, Robert Singleton

12. Delivering Public Infrastructure Providing homes and jobs alone is not sufficient to create sustainable, healthy places. Our communities also need to be supported by an appropriate range of services and facilities. These proposed changes would: ensure that the planning system supports the increased provision and modernisation of key public services infrastructure , such as hospitals and criminal justice facilities; ensure the availability of a sufficient choice of post-16 education places and early years places. Do you agree with the changes proposed to paragraph 100 of the existing NPPF? Do you agree with the changes proposed to paragraph 99 of the existing NPPF? 12

13. Vision Led Approach to Transport Planning In the approach to transport planning, when assessing sites that may be allocated for development in plans, or specific applications for development, it should be ensured that there is safe and suitable access to the site, the design of streets, parking areas, other transport elements reflects current national guidance and significant impacts from the development on the transport network can be cost effectively mitigated to an acceptable degree Proposed changes to the approach to transport planning include ensuring that there is a vision led approach to promoting sustainable transport modes as well as considering the type of development and its location. A vision-led approach to transport planning focuses on creating a clear, inspiring vision for the future of transportation and using that vision to guide all planning and decision-making processes. Do you agree with the changes proposed to paragraph 114 of the existing NPPF? 13

14. Healthy Communities When promoting healthy and safe communities planning policies and decisions should aim to achieve healthy , inclusive and safe places. They should promote social interaction, be safe and accessible and enable and support a healthy lifestyle. We are considering how the NPPF can better support healthy living . How could national planning policy better support local authorities in (a) promoting healthy communities and (b) tackling childhood obesity? Do you have any other suggestions relating to the proposals in this chapter? 14

15. Questions and discussion

16. NPPF Policy Workshop: National Significant Infrastructure Suzie Willis

17. 17 New Priorities for the NSIP system, supporting the governments Growth and Clean Energy missions . The NSIP planning regime is not working as efficiently as needed to meet the ambition of getting Britain building again. Expanding the NSIP regime so that it can support our drive for cleaner energy will be dependent on making some proactive changes. We have identified what is not working well and what can be done to improve the DCO process to meet our clean energy ambitions as well as potentially expanding the range of major infrastructure projects entering the NSIP planning regime. As a first step in the government's plans to reform the way the Nationally significant Infrastructure Regime applies to onshore wind, solar, data centre, laboratories, gigafactories and water projects is a first step in the governments NSIPs reforms plans. The governments Growth and Clean Energy missions are a major priority and delivering a set of reforms to address some of the key issues could be potentially game changing Introduction

18. 18 Proposed projects falling within the fields of infrastructure covered in the Planning Act 2008 (energy, transport, water and water waste) but below the thresholds set out in 2008 Act, the relevant SoS may , on request direct a project into the regime under S35 of the Act . Section 35 was amended in 2013 so that certain business and commercial developments (prescribed under regulations) such as offices, sports ,leisure and tourism , which are substantial in size or have significant economic impact or are important for driving growth, could be directed9 on request ) into the regime( subject to conditions) Should we include data centres, gigafactories and laboratories into the NSIP consenting planning process? Broadening the NSIP regime Question 64: Would you support the prescription of data centres, gigafactories, and/or laboratories as types of business and commercial development which could be capable (on request) of being directed not the NSIP consenting regime? Question 65: If the direction power is extended to these developments ,should it be limited by scale, and what scale if so? Question 66: Do you have any other suggestions ? Bringing data Centre's, gigafactories and laboratories into the NSIP planning process

19. 19 Bringing onshore wind back into the NSIP regime to meet the governments ambition to deliver green energy. We recognise this as a national priority and including onshore wind will help to meet the target of making the Uk a clean energy superpower Supporting green energy and the environment Question 72: Do you agree that large onshore wind projects should be reintegrated into the NSIP regime? Bringing onshore wind back into the NSIP regime.

20. 20 Supporting renewable deployment HEX #00625E White C0 M0 Y0 K0 R255 G255 B255 HEX #000000 Question 76: Do you agree that the threshold at which solar projects are deemed to be Nationally Significant and therefore consented by the NSIP regime should be changed from 50MW to 150MW Question 75: Question 75: Do you agree that the threshold at which onshore wind projects are deemed to be Nationally significant and therefore consented under the NSIP regime should be changed from 50 megawatts(MW) to 100MW Question 77: If you think that alternative thresholds should apply to onshore wind and/or solar, what would these be?

21. 21 There is currently no statutory requirement that enable local authorities to recover costs for the specialist advice they provide to applicants at various stages of the DCO process. We are considering whether to make a provision to allow host upper and lower tier( or unitary ) local authorities to have the power to recover costs for relevant services provided in relation to applications and proposed applications for development consent under the PA2008, using the power of section 54A of the Act. Question 98 : do you consider that cost recovery for relevant services provided by local authorities in relation to applications for development consent orders under the Planning Act 2008 ,payable by applicants should be introduced ? Introducing cost recovery for local authorities related to NSIP

22. Questions and discussion

23. Bringing it all together

24. Supporting councils with infrastructure planning Governance of developer contributions: Over the last few years, PAS have worked with councils to improve governance related to developer contributions https://www.local.gov.uk/pas/topics/developer-contributions Looking ahead: Focusing on updating guidance for councils on developing Infrastructure Delivery Plans (IDPs) Exploring UK Infrastructure – Publishing an information matrix of infrastructure types, permission processes and funding routes Developing a Model IDP for councils to use Embracing digital: Exploring digital solutions to better store and present infrastructure data and engage with infrastructure providers

25. Our Vision for Infrastructure Delivery Plans (IDPs) Working with councils: Collaborating with councils who are developing or updating their IDPs to shape our guidance Councils of different scales, type and geography and at least one group of authorities who are looking at joint IDP working A true delivery document: We want IDPs to be more than a wish list—helping councils turn them into a deliverable strategy to support development and update more easily Engaging with infrastructure providers: Enhancing collaboration with providers for better delivery

26. NSIP local authority network Brings together LA officers to share information, experience & best practice Provides a direct link between national and local government practitioners Builds local capacity and aims to “normalise” NSIPs Network of over 40 authorities and 100 plus practitioners Agreed a position statement and key areas for reform Sharing lessons from Innovation & Capacity Fund Deep dives into cost recovery, community engagement, LA organisation and structures Building links with key stakeholders – PINS, DESNZ, SEUK, NIC, ESO

27. Your feedback Polls 2 – your experience and views on some questions Please login to Slido again to answer a couple more polls Slido link: https://app.sli.do/event/gbvHxP1SbVNqU6d3EERZwq Use code: 3253773

28. Summary and Close NPPF Consultation Closes 24 September 2024 Thank you! 