With the Government returned to office with a working majority in the December election, we’re ready to see some decisive moves out of Whitehall in the coming months.

Among them are likely to be a White Paper on planning that will aim to deliver on the Government’s promise to build a million homes over the course of the parliament. We understand that the paper will examine:

• tiering the planning application process
• improving the local plan-making process
• digital planning
• resourcing and fees for planning applications

We’re also expecting to see progress made on the Government’s Environment Bill. This Bill aims to establish a new Government department. It will be responsible for providing a holistic approach to the delivery of environmental improvements.

The Environment Bill will require planning authorities and applicants alike to take a more creative approach to green infrastructure and open space. This is to ensure improvements are delivered and then maintained for at least 30 years. A key tenet of this Bill will be the requirement to deliver 10% Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) through development.

We closely monitor the progress of both these initiatives. Keep an eye out for policy updates and briefing events from us as the details evolve.