Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects

The UK Government has put major infrastructure at the centre of its growth plan and is reforming the NSIP regime to make it faster, clearer and more delivery-focused. The ambition is to decide 150 nationally significant infrastructure projects within the current Parliament and local authorities remain central to how the system works in practice - as consultees, partners and delivery bodies. National infrastructure planning in England and Wales is guided by government advice alongside the Planning Act 2008, which sets out the legal framework. While the Planning Inspectorate’s (PINS) guidance is not legally binding, it reflects best practice and is recommended for applicants and others involved in the process.

Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects (NSIPs) are large-scale developments considered strategically important to the country, such as power stations, wind farms, major roads, railways, airports, reservoirs, and waste or water treatment facilities. Because of their national importance, these projects are decided at a national level rather than by local councils.

Most NSIPs require a Development Consent Order (DCO), which is a type of approval granted by the government. The Planning Inspectorate examines applications and makes a recommendation, but the final decision is made by the relevant Secretary of State. The process typically takes around 17 months and follows six key stages, from pre-application through to decision.

Recent reforms aim to improve the efficiency of the system, including a new Fast Track process for high-quality applications. Updated guidance and procedural changes have been introduced to support these improvements and streamline how major infrastructure projects are assessed. This page pulls together statutory guidance, further information and additional resources we think might be useful for local planning authority officers.

Since July 2024 the reform agenda has brought forward several major shifts. The Planning and Infrastructure Act 2025 introduces measures to streamline the consenting process, including changes to the pre-application consultation period, stronger duties on statutory consultees and a direct route to oral hearings in judicial review for NSIPs to reduce delays.

At the policy level, the government requires that all National Policy Statements (which underpin the NSIP regime) must be reviewed at least every five years. This will provide greater stability and should ensure that infrastructure policy keeps pace with emerging technologies and priorities. Environmental reforms are also underway - mandatory biodiversity net gain is expected to apply to on-shore NSIPs from May 2026, and a new approach to supporting strategic nature recovery and delivery is also being introduced as part of wider reforms to the planning system.

Institutionally, the creation of a new National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority (NISTA) brings together project-assurance, infrastructure strategy and delivery oversight under one roof. NISTA are responsible for implementing the Government's UK 10 year Infrastructure Strategy and managing the “Infrastructure Pipeline” which will give investors, developers, local authorities and other stakeholders stronger visibility of upcoming projects.

Importantly for local authorities, greater emphasis is also being given to the community benefits that NSIP host communities should be expected to see. In May 2025 the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) published a working paper seeking views on a potential mandatory scheme for low-carbon energy infrastructure - including the structure of community funds and shared ownership models.

For local authorities, these reforms bring both opportunities and challenges. Faster decision-making means that early, proactive engagement with promoters, statutory consultees and host communities is more important than ever. Councils will also have a stronger role in the delivery and post-consent stages - helping to monitor mitigation, realise local benefits and ensure that projects deliver on their promises.

The new Infrastructure Pipeline offers a clearer view of what’s coming, enabling councils to anticipate NSIP activity and prepare so that planning services are properly resourced. Staying connected through the PAS NSIP Network for Local Government Officers is a practical way to keep up with policy changes, share experience and influence how reforms are implemented in practice.

The Innovation and Capacity Fund is a key element of the NSIP Reform Programme, providing additional capacity to local authorities to find new and more innovative ways to engage in the NSIP process.

Government announced the first round of the Local Authority Innovation and Capacity Fund in August 2022 with the aim of supporting faster, better and greener delivery of major infrastructure projects. Ten local authority projects each received between £60,000 and £90,000 to explore a range of ways to improve the NSIP process and how they engaged with it as well as with local communities.  

A second round of Innovation and Capacity Funding was launched in summer 2023 with the successful projects confirmed in November as part of the Getting Britain Building Again prospectus. A total of £2.7m was awarded to 22 projects across 37 different local authorities. These projects build on the round one experience, trialling a range of new initiatives and approaches. Round 2 funding was also divided into a couple of separate streams, reflecting the nature and timing of the funding available - Stream 1 covers projects relating to NSIPs in the transport sector; and Stream 2 projects relating to NSIPs of any sector.

Based on feedback and presentations from each of the projects, PAS has prepared end of programme reports for each round of funding to date. These look at the outcomes from the different projects, how funding supported local authorities to engage in the NSIP process and what lessons can be shared more widely across other local authorities.

The NSIP Local Authority Network led by the PAS Team also helps to ensure that insights and experience  from each round of funding is shared so that it can be used to help shape the work of other local authorities. Resources, presentations and other material about the funded projects are available to members of the network. To find out more about the impact of Innovation and Capacity Fund projects as well as  wider NSIP issues, please refer to the sign up form at the top of this page.

The PAS Team hosted two events in October 2025 to provide an introduction to the world of NSIPs. The first session was aimed at planners and other local authority officers, and the second was designed for locally elected members. You can explore the presentations and slides on this page to learn more about the NSIP process and what it means for local authorities. They include a practical “nuts and bolts” overview of the NSIP process, followed by expert insights from local practitioners. Together, this information aim to build understanding of how the NSIP regime works, set out the national context established by Government and highlight the crucial role of local authorities within it.

This section provides a step-by-step overview of the NSIP process, highlighting the key stages from pre-application through to final decision. The Planning Inspectorate's online hub for NSIPs sets out the process for DCOs and the role of PINS, as well as an easy to use and searchable list of all NSIP applications in England.

Local authorities hosting NSIPs are statutory consultees in the DCO process and have a number of critical roles to play at each stage. Advice from the Planning Inspectorate sets out the formal local authority roles in some detail as well as describing the different stages of the DCO process. A reference guide to NSIPs for local authorities has also been created by Suffolk County Council which covers every aspect of the DCO process and how local authorities can engage. 

• Pre-app: The developer prepares their proposal and consults the public, local authorities, and statutory bodies. This stage is about gathering feedback, assessing environmental impacts, and ensuring the application is robust before submission.

Government guidance explains how applications for Development Consent Orders should be prepared for major infrastructure projects, particularly during the pre-application stage. It is primarily based on the Planning Act 2008 (as amended), which sets out the legal requirements for consultation, application preparation, and acceptance into the process. It also reflects the Infrastructure Planning (Environmental Impact Assessment) Regulations 2017 (as amended), which govern how environmental impacts must be assessed and reported.

• Acceptance: Once submitted, the Planning Inspectorate has 28 days to decide whether the application meets the required standard to proceed. If accepted, it moves to examination; if not, it must be revised.

Government guidance sets out that PINS will check whether an application for a DCO meets the legal requirements before it can proceed to examination. This includes verifying that all required documents and plans have been submitted in line with the Planning Act 2008, reviewing consultation information, and checking that the applicant has properly explained how pre-application consultation was carried out and how feedback was considered.

• Pre-examination: An Examining Authority is appointed and the project is publicised. Members of the public can register to take part, and a preliminary meeting is held to set how the examination will run.

Government guidance highlights that the pre-examination stage begins once an NSIP application has been accepted. At this point, the applicant must publicly advertise the project, and members of the public who want to take part must register as interested parties by submitting a detailed “relevant representation” explaining their views. An Examining Authority is appointed by PINS to oversee the examination process, may visit the site, and will hold a preliminary meeting to set how the application will be examined. This stage has no strict legal time limit, but is expected to last up to around five months.

• Examination: The proposal is formally assessed by the Examining Authority. Evidence is reviewed, written submissions are made, and hearings may be held. This stage is time-limited (usually up to 6 months).

Government guidance sets out that this stage is where the Examining Authority carries out a detailed assessment of the application. It gathers and tests evidence by asking written questions, reviewing submissions from interested parties, holding hearings, visiting the site (with or without others), and making procedural decisions as needed. The process is mainly written, although hearings allow parties to expand on their views. This stage typically lasts up to 6 months, or 4 months under the Fast Track process.

• Recommendation: After the examination, the Examining Authority prepares a report and recommendation on whether consent should be granted and submits it to the relevant Secretary of State.

Government guidance explains that this is when the Examining Authority reviews all the evidence gathered during the examination and prepares a report and recommendation on whether the project should be granted development consent. This report is submitted to the Secretary of State but is not published at this stage, it becomes publicly available only once a final decision has been made.

• Decision: The Secretary of State makes the final decision on whether to grant development consent (DCO), based on the recommendation and all evidence.

Government guidance explains that this is when the Secretary of State reviews the Examining Authority’s recommendation, along with all the evidence and documentation, and makes the final decision on whether to grant development consent for the project. This stage typically takes up to 3 months, although it may be shorter under the Fast Track process.

The following Q&A was produced following a deep dive into the post-consent and delivery stages of the DCO process, based on a PAS Network Meeting held in October 2025. The discussion explored the challenges and opportunities at the post-consent stage of NSIPs, focusing on how projects progress from consent to successful delivery. The Q&A also highlights the importance of these stages, the role of the local planning authority, and key considerations within this part of the DCO process.

Over 120 major infrastructure projects have been successfully delivered through the NSIP regime since it was introduced by the 2008 Planning Act. Geography means that many NSIP developments have traditionally been clustered in a few areas of the country, for example the number of off-shore wind and other energy projects on the Eastern coast of the country or flooding and tidal schemes around major estuaries. However, these trends are changing and many more local authorities are now required to develop expertise in national infrastructure planning.

Suffolk County Council have seen a very large number of NSIPs developed in their area, with over 19 NSIP schemes approved, submitted or proposed over recent years. This includes the Sizewell C nuclear power station, several offshore wind schemes and solar power farms as well as new electricity transmission lines. Supported by the Government's Innovation and Capacity Fund, Suffolk have drawn on this experience to set up the East of England Centre of Excellence for NSIPs in 2022 and a new, national centre of excellence in 2024. The PAS Team work closely with Suffolk to support the critical work of the Centre of Excellence. The guides, presentations and other materials available through the Centre are an excellent source of information and help for any local authority dealing with NSIPs.