Spotlight: New mayoral call-in powers, wind energy application boost and Thames Water latest

Ministers have announced that mayors across England will be given new powers to call in major planning applications, grant development permissions, and play a greater role in directing housing and infrastructure investment in their areas, bringing them in line with powers already held by the Mayor of London. For the development sector, the reforms could accelerate decision-making on strategically important schemes while strengthening the link between housing delivery, economic growth and local priorities.

This builds on early indications that the Burnham Government intends to devolve powers and give regional mayors a greater role in driving local growth and decision-making. New powers to levy development contributions for major infrastructure, alongside a greater say over investment priorities, point to mayors becoming increasingly influential in the delivery of transport, regeneration and housing projects.

The key question now is whether greater local control can help unlock the faster delivery ministers are seeking across housing, infrastructure and economic development and if it will work in the same way as it has in London, in practice. The reforms are likely to prove controversial, with critics arguing that allowing mayors to overturn local planning decisions could reduce the influence of local authorities and concentrate power at a regional level.

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Spotlight on next week

Next week is set to be another key week across politics and the energy, infrastructure and development sectors, and for us at Luminate.

The week ahead:

• Parliament returns on Tuesday, after the Bank Holiday, and will be the first time it has sat since Andy Burnham became Prime Minister. He will face his first Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday.

• With the return of parliament, there are several relevant debates and committee sessions, including Westminster Hall debates on the impact of Local Government Reorganisation on Cambridgeshire and Government support for rural upper tier local authorities, as well as an Energy Security and Net Zero Committee oral evidence session on reviewing the electricity market.

• Reform Party conference begins in Birmingham, on Thursday 3rd September. Housing has been a prominent part of recent announcements, and more detail on their plans may follow. Luminate will be covering the party conference season across our platforms, so stay tuned.

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This week’s headlines:

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ENERGY

TOP STORY: 📰 Onshore windfarm applications hit 10-year high in England | The Guardian

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Applications for new onshore wind farms in England have reached their highest level in a decade, with around 45 proposals submitted in the year to March following the removal of the effective planning ban on onshore wind. The amount of wind capacity entering the planning system has more than tripled since the policy change, signalling renewed confidence among developers and a growing pipeline of renewable energy projects.

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We’ve also been reading:

✒ Breathing space on your energy bill | Department for Energy Security and Net Zero

✒ Government forecasts 100,000+ North Sea jobs will disappear by 2050 | Aberdeen and Grampian Chamber of Commerce

📰 Energy price cap rises, set to jump again in January | Solar Power Portal

📰 Government launches £28 million funding for 100+ hour energy storage technologies | Solar Power Portal  

📰 Wales revamps renewable energy targets | Energy Live News  

📰 Sizewell C nuclear project suffers setback after road building delayed | Financial Times (paywall)

📰 Why does the UK have the most expensive energy in Europe? | The Times (paywall)

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INFRASTRUCTURE

TOP STORY: ️📰 Andy Burnham shelves Thames Water administration plans over costs | The Times (paywall)

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Reports, including in The Times, suggest the Government has cooled on plans to place Thames Water into a Special Administration Regime, citing concerns over the potential cost to taxpayers and legal risks. While public ownership has not been ruled out, ministers are reportedly considering alternative options as the utility's creditors pursue a private-sector rescue plan.

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We’ve also been reading:

🗣 Why streamlining infrastructure delivery will be integral to Britain’s economic success | New Civil Engineer

📰 £13 million is being put towards satellite technology to benefit UK railways and farms | Open Access Government

📰 Thames Water creditors build board for bailout bid | Sky News

📰 Burnham mulls insolvency law shake-up to help bring utilities under public control | The Guardian

📰 £230m Thames electricity tunnel reaches halfway point | Engineering and Technology Magazine  

📰 Back on track: can Burnham fix the north’s woeful rail services? | The Guardian

📰 Prime Minister commits to further devolution for Wales in visit to Port Talbot | ITV News Wales

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DEVELOPMENT

TOP STORY: ✒️ Mayors given powers to green light developments | Prime Minister's Office, 10 Downing Street and The Rt Hon Andy Burnham MP

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The Government has announced a significant expansion of mayoral powers, allowing mayors across England to call in and determine major planning applications, grant development permissions and take a greater role in directing housing and infrastructure investment. The reforms will apply to large housing, commercial and tall-building schemes, while mayors will also gain new powers to raise funding for major infrastructure projects and influence how housing funding is spent in their areas.

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We’ve also been reading:

✒️ Historic council housebuilding comeback to help families into secure homes |  

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, The Rt Hon Andy Burnham MP and The Rt Hon Angela Rayner MP

✒️ Standard planning agreements for medium-sized sites | Open consultation, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government  

✒️ Nearly half favour improving the economy nationally over regional development as most Brits say economy growth does more good than harm | Ipsos

📰 Mayors to get powers to overrule local councils on planning decisions | BBC News

📰 Reform says it will prioritise British-born workers for social housing | BBC News

📰 Rayner makes it easier to build homes in gardens | The Telegraph (paywall)

📰 Burnham backtracks on spending housing fund only on building social homes | The Guardian

📰 Billions for affordable homes across England in ‘first wave’ of govt programme | Architects’ Journal