Infrastructure Act
On 12 February 2015, the new Infrastructure Act became law. It introduced new measures intended '...to make it easier, quicker and simpler to get Britain building’.
The act will:
- Make the Highways Agency a government-owned company, Highways England, with long-term funding and more accountable to Parliament and road users.
- Allow surplus and redundant public sector land and property to be sold more quickly, increasing the amount of previously-developed land available for new homes.
- Prevent excessive delays on projects which have been granted planning permission by introducing a new ‘deemed discharge’ provision on planning conditions.
- Allow the Land Registry to create a digitised local land charges register to improve access to data, standardise fees and improve turnaround times.
- Allow the Land Registry to undertake new services to improve the conveyancing process.
- Give local communities the right to buy a stake in renewable energy infrastructure projects.
- Improve energy security and economic growth by extracting domestic shale gas.
- Create a cycling and walking investment strategy.
- Improve the nationally significant infrastructure regime by making administrative improvements to the Planning Act 2008.
- Permit the creation of an allowable solutions scheme to provide a cost effective way for house builders to meet the zero carbon homes obligation.
Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin said:
“This act will hugely boost Britain’s competitiveness in transport, energy provision, housing development and nationally significant infrastructure projects…. A key part of this act will be the creation of Highways England, which will for the first time use long-term sustained funding to deliver the government’s roads investment strategy, worth £15 billion, to deliver more than 100 schemes between now and the end of the next Parliament.”
The act was published by the Department for Transport on behalf of the Land Registry, the Department of Energy and Climate Change, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the Department for Communities and Local Government.
NB: On 10 July 2015, the government published ‘Fixing the foundations: creating a more prosperous nation’ a government plan for increasing Britain’s productivity. Amongst a great number of wide-ranging changes, the report states, 'The government does not intend to proceed with the zero carbon Allowable Solutions carbon offsetting scheme, or the proposed 2016 increase in on-site energy efficiency standards, but will keep energy efficiency standards under review, recognising that existing measures to increase energy efficiency of new buildings should be allowed time to become established.'
[edit] Related articles on Designing Buildings Wiki
Featured articles and news
Quality Planning for Micro and Small to Medium Sized Enterprises
A CIOB Academy Technical Information sheet.
A briefing on fall protection systems for designers
A legal requirement and an ethical must.
CIOB Ireland launches manifesto for 2024 General Election
A vision for a sustainable, high-quality built environment that benefits all members of society.
Local leaders gain new powers to support local high streets
High Street Rental Auctions to be introduced from December.
Infrastructure sector posts second gain for October
With a boost for housebuilder and commercial developer contract awards.
Sustainable construction design teams survey
Shaping the Future of Sustainable Design: Your Voice Matters.
COP29; impacts of construction and updates
Amid criticism, open letters and calls for reform.
The properties of conservation rooflights
Things to consider when choosing the right product.
Adapting to meet changing needs.
London Build: A festival of construction
Co-located with the London Build Fire & Security Expo.
Tasked with locating groups of 10,000 homes with opportunity.
Delivering radical reform in the UK energy market
What are the benefits, barriers and underlying principles.
Information Management Initiative IMI
Building sector-transforming capabilities in emerging technologies.
Recent study of UK households reveals chilling home truths
Poor insulation, EPC knowledge and lack of understanding as to what retrofit might offer.
Embodied Carbon in the Built Environment
Overview, regulations, detail calculations and much more.
Why the construction sector must embrace workplace mental health support
Let’s talk; more importantly now, than ever.
Ensuring the trustworthiness of AI systems
A key growth area, including impacts for construction.
Comments