Concerns are being raised about this bill not least in relation to the ‘transfer of public land to the Government Homes and Communities Agency will relatively few strings. This looks like re-igniting the forest sell-off campaign issue.

Planning Portal  ‘The new legislation which changes the management of major roads, streamlines the planning process for major projects and alters the regime for registering land and property has begun it Parliamentary journey. The Government’s Infrastructure Bill had its first reading in the Lords last week (5 June).

Main elements of the Bill include moves to provide more long-term funding for national strategic road projects and measures to turn the Highways Agency into a government-owned company.

The Bill would simplify and speed up measures introduced in the Planning Act 2008 for handling minor changes to existing planning permissions for major projects. It would also simplify the processes for more significant changes.

The legislation would allow certain types of planning conditions to be regarded as discharged if a local planning authority has not notified the applicant of their decision within a prescribed time period. A consultation on the detailed operation of this proposal will be published shortly.

The Bill would permit land to be transferred directly from arms length bodies to the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) and it would make sure that future purchasers of land owned by HCA and the Greater London Authority (GLA) will be able to develop and use land without being affected by easements and other rights and restrictions suspended by the agency.’  To read more click here