Insight

Navigating Planning Reforms: Is This the Path to Progress?

19.5.25 UKREiiF 2025

UKREiiF 2025 brought together a panel of leading voices to ask a pivotal question: Are the latest planning reforms truly delivering progress, or simply adding new layers to an already complex system?

The session was chaired by Mike Jones, Planning Partner, Bidwells, who guided the discussion through the key challenges, and opportunities, facing the planning system today.

Contributors:

Mike Jones

Partner, Planning

What followed was a lively, solution-focused conversation. There was broad consensus on the direction of travel, but also a strong message: ambition must be matched by cultural change, consistent application and real-world pragmatism.

Reform in Motion: Ambition from the Centre

Joanna Averley, Chief Planner at the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, opened the session with an overview of the Government’s current reform programme. With the revised National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), the new Planning and Infrastructure Bill, and increased planning fees already in motion, it’s clear the government sees planning as a central lever for economic growth.

Joanna spoke of strategic planning, housing targets and digital transformation as key areas of focus. Importantly, she acknowledged the sheer scale of change facing local planning authorities and confirmed that government support, financial and practical, will continue.

The introduction of Pathways to Planning and local authority fee-setting powers are already helping some councils begin to tackle long-standing resourcing issues. “We know it’s a big shift,” she said. “But it’s one that must be supported, and we’re backing local authorities to drive it forward.”

Delivery on the Ground: Reality vs Policy

For those delivering homes and infrastructure, the view was more cautious.

Rachel Allwood of Dandara and James Welch of Willmott Dixon highlighted the gap between policy ambition and delivery reality. While the updated NPPF has clearly shifted support toward strategic, greenfield development, brownfield sites remain weighed down by viability concerns, complex site constraints and policy uncertainty. As Rachel noted, “It was a missed opportunity for brownfield. The challenges are known, and they need specific, practical support.”

The Building Safety Act came in for particular scrutiny. James shared that some projects are now facing over a year of delay at Gateway 2, with no clear timelines or communication from the regulator. This lack of transparency not only disrupts delivery, it erodes investor confidence.

There were practical suggestions to improve the situation, including:

Introducing staged applications to Gateway 2
Flexibility in planning conditions and Section 106 timing
Fast-tracked minor amendments for schemes delayed by new regulatory requirements

These ideas reflected a broader call for proportionate, joined-up thinking, particularly in an environment where construction costs and compliance burdens are rising fast.

Culture, Consistency and Clarity

A strong policy framework is essential, but several panellists emphasised that policy alone cannot fix a system hindered by fragmented interpretation and inconsistent local practices.

Meeta Kaur of Town Legal LLP highlighted the need for greater standardisation in decision-making. Support was voiced for a national scheme of delegation, consistent planning committee procedures, and mandatory training for members. “It’s not that the legislation is broken,” she said. “Many of our challenges stem from how policy is applied, and from governance structures that vary wildly across the country.”

There was also a call for stronger and clearer government messaging, what Meeta described as a “muscular” approach to encouraging plan adoption and discouraging political hesitancy.

We heard that planners, particularly in local authorities, often feel under-supported or even undermined, leading to defensive, risk-averse behaviours such as excessive planning conditions or delays in signing off Section 106 agreements.

Planning as Place Leadership

Perhaps the most powerful reminder of what good planning can achieve came from Michelle Sacks, Chief Executive of Huntingdonshire District Council. She shared how her authority’s 30-year place strategy is embedded into every planning discussion, linking development to outcomes such as health, pride in place, and sustainable transport.

“We must move away from viewing planning as a regulatory burden,” she said. “Our planners are building homes, communities, futures. That’s our role in creating better places.”

Michelle described a cultural reset within her council, where planning policy, development management, economic development and legal teams all collaborate early and openly. “If someone wants to invest in our place, my door is open. Let’s have an honest conversation about what’s possible.”

Her message struck a chord: that success in planning doesn’t begin and end with policy. It requires trust, early engagement, and a shared commitment to place-making over bureaucracy.

The audience's questions brought forward a clear message: planning reform is moving, but delivery still feels stuck. Delays in condition discharge, a lack of coordination between regulatory bodies, and continued political hesitation at local level were recurring frustrations.

But there was also optimism, especially around the potential for digital planning, greater use of AI, and clearer national design guidance to support faster, higher-quality outcomes.

From this discussion, several clear priorities emerged:

Resourcing: Support recruitment and ringfence income to strengthen planning teams
Consistency: Drive standardisation in committees, conditions, and delegated decisions
Clarity: Improve transparency in regulatory processes, especially around safety
Culture: Shift perceptions of planning from control to creativity and collaboration
Partnership: Build trust between public and private sectors through honest, early dialogue

“Policy must lead, but behaviour must follow. Without consistency, pragmatism and leadership at every level, the system can’t deliver at pace or at quality.”

- Mike Jones reflected on the importance of mindset as much as mechanism.

Panelists

Mike Jones

Partner, Planning

Rachel Allwood

Planning Director, Dandara Ltd

Michelle Sacks

CEO, Huntingdonshire District Council

James Welch

Director of PreConstruction, Willmott Dixon

Meeta Kaur

Partner, Town Legal LLP

Joanna Averley

Chief Planner, MHCLG

Report