Structural reform of the UK’s infrastructure is “only half the battle”, according to British Property Federation (BPF) chief executive Liz Peace.
The government’s National Infrastructure Plan was published today, with reforms to the UK planning process welcomed by the BPF.
Proposals include reform of compulsory purchase orders in the country’s 2015 Budget to make processes “clearer, faster and fairer”, with the aim of bringing forward more brownfield land for development.
The government will also take steps to speed up the UK’s section 106 negotiations, to reduce delays to the planning process.
The plan was published alongside a refreshed infrastructure pipeline that provided details of more than £460bn of planned investment across both the public and private sectors.
Upstream oil and gas investments were included in the pipeline for the first time.
The BPF said a funding gap remained in UK infrastructure and urged the government to match structural reform of the planning system with measures to unlock greater investment in infrastructure.
The federation said the moves would ensure local authority planning departments were “properly resourced”.
Peace said: “We would urge the government to also ensure the system is properly resourced at a local level, and to do all it can to drive greater investment into the built environment as a whole.”
The plan also outlines efforts to bring brownfield land back into use and make it easier for UK councils to assemble land for regeneration.
“Delivering the right infrastructure at a local, regional and national level is essential,” Peace added.
“Today’s announcement marks a welcome step in ensuring the planning system works more effectively in bringing forward essential development and creating the conditions for growth.”
