The Planning and Infrastructure Act 2025 introduces major changes to how development and infrastructure projects are planned and approved across England. While much of the discussion has focused on developers and national infrastructure, the reforms are also highly relevant for landowners — particularly those with land that may be suitable for future housing or strategic development.
This guide explains what the changes mean in practical terms and how landowners can position themselves to benefit.
Why This Matters for Landowners
The government has set a strong direction of travel: accelerate housing delivery and unlock strategic development sites. The new legislation is designed to remove delays, simplify processes, and support large-scale growth — including new settlements and urban extensions.
For landowners, this creates increased opportunity — but also makes timing, planning strategy, and site promotion more important than ever.
Faster Routes for Major Development Projects
The Act introduces reforms aimed at speeding up the approval of major infrastructure and large-scale development schemes. While not every landowner site will fall into these categories, the knock-on effects are important:
- Quicker infrastructure delivery can unlock surrounding land
- Transport and utilities investment often increases land promotion potential
- Strategic growth areas are likely to receive stronger policy support
Land close to transport corridors, proposed infrastructure routes, or growth zones may become more attractive for development promotion.
New Approach to Environmental Requirements
A key change is the introduction of Environmental Delivery Plans and a Nature Restoration Fund. These are intended to allow development to move forward while environmental improvements are delivered at a broader, strategic scale.
In simple terms, this could mean:
- Less reliance on site-by-site environmental mitigation alone
- More use of pooled or strategic environmental solutions
- Reduced risk of sites being stalled due to complex mitigation requirements
For landowners, this may help bring forward sites that previously faced environmental constraints — although detailed guidance is still emerging.
Stronger Push for Large-Scale Housing Sites
Government policy is increasingly focused on:
- New settlements and large urban extensions
- Growth near transport hubs
- Strategic housing allocations
- Delivery of affordable homes
Smaller sites remain important, but larger, well-located landholdings are likely to receive greater attention in plan-making and promotion exercises.
Landowners with sizeable parcels — or land that could be assembled into larger schemes — may see increased developer and promoter interest.
Planning Authorities to Focus on Major Schemes
Changes to planning committee structures and planning fee rules are intended to help councils concentrate resources on significant development proposals.
Councils will also gain more control over planning fees for major applications, which may lead to:
- Better resourced planning departments
- Faster handling of strategic applications
- Greater focus on deliverable housing sites
For promoted land, this could improve decision timelines — though local authority performance will still vary.
Reduced Scope for Legal Delays on Major Infrastructure
The Act tightens the rules around legal challenges for certain nationally significant infrastructure projects, limiting repeated judicial review attempts in cases deemed without merit.
While this mainly affects large infrastructure schemes, it may indirectly benefit nearby development land by reducing long-running delays to enabling infrastructure.
What Landowners Should Do Now
With the planning system evolving, landowners should consider:
Reviewing land potential
- Is your land near transport, settlements, or growth areas?
- Could infrastructure investment improve its prospects?
Understanding promotion options
- Strategic land promotion agreements
- Option agreements with developers
- Joint promotion approaches
Engaging early
- Local Plans and call-for-sites exercises remain critical
- Early representation increases the chance of allocation
Taking professional planning advice
- Policy is shifting quickly
- Site strategy now can significantly affect future land value
How Aston Mead Land & Planning Supports Landowners
At Aston Mead Land & Planning, we specialise in securing land on behalf of clients to promote land through the planning system and securing development value for landowners. We monitor planning reform closely and adjust promotion strategies to reflect new policy and legislative changes.
If you would like an initial view on your land’s development potential under the new planning framework, we can provide a confidential, no-obligation assessment.
