The Planning Act: Ten Years On

In November 2018 the Planning Act 2008 will celebrate its tenth birthday. Through the Planning Act a new regime for the consenting of nationally significant transport, energy, water, waste water and waste infrastructure projects was born. It was introduced with the aim of providing a faster and structured consenting regime for what it termed nationally significant infrastructure projects (NSIPs).

The birth of the NSIP regime The foundations of the Planning Act were laid in the Planning for a Sustainable Future white paper in May 2007. The white paper recognised the importance of key infrastructure development to the continued sustainability of the country, acknowledging that while the benefits of new and improved infrastructure are often widely dispersed, the impacts tend to be concentrated on a relatively small number of people in their immediate vicinity.