The Nature Restoration Fund
The headline change is a new way of dealing with environmental obligations. Natural England can prepare Environmental Delivery Plans (EDPs) for a defined area and type of development, covering a specific pressure such as nutrient pollution or impacts on great crested newts.
Where an EDP is in place, a developer can pay a Nature Restoration Levy. Natural England then uses the money to deliver larger-scale environmental improvements, instead of each site commissioning its own mitigation. The first EDPs focus on nutrient pollution. A draft EDP for Norfolk, covering more than 15,000 new homes, went out to consultation in autumn 2026.
For sites held up by nutrient neutrality, this could provide a route forward once an EDP covers the relevant catchment.
Planning committees
The Act enables a national scheme of delegation, setting out which applications officers decide and which go to committee. It also introduces mandatory training for committee members. The scheme takes effect on 31 October 2026. See our article on the new scheme.
Major infrastructure
For nationally significant infrastructure projects, the duty to carry out statutory pre-application consultation is removed, although publicity requirements remain. The number of attempts at legal challenge against decisions is limited, and development corporations gain extra powers to deliver large-scale growth.
What it means for smaller schemes
Most homeowners and small developers will feel the Act through faster, more consistent decisions and, in affected areas, a simpler route through environmental constraints. Commencement is staged, so the detail depends on regulations and guidance as they are published. We track each stage on this page and in our timeline.
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Sources
- Natural England: Royal Assent and the Planning and Infrastructure Act
- Defra: Laying the groundwork for the Nature Restoration Fund (June 2026)
- Local Government Lawyer: Planning and Infrastructure Bill receives Royal Assent
This article is general information about planning in England at the date shown. It is not advice on any particular site, and the law and policy may have changed since. Please speak to us before relying on it.