What's Another Year 2026 - Environment And Planning

Proposed planning reforms

The Accelerating Infrastructure Report and Action Plan, published on 3 December 2025, outlines the Government's programme of reform for the planning regime. The plan identifies 30 actions, the majority of which are intended to be implemented in 2026. Three of the most significant for developers are:

• Judicial review and costs reform: It is proposed to place the entire judicial review process on a statutory footing through the implementation of the Civil Reform Bill. The general scheme of the bill was published on 6 January 2026. Separately, consultation has opened on the introduction of a scale of fees for judicial reviews taken under the 2024 Act. A new cost model is under consideration, where applicants would retain a level of cost protection, but "face an element of jeopardy" in the sense that they may be liable for some costs. This approach would have to be reconciled with the Aarhus Convention requirement to ensure that access to