Marketing Newscast

(Edited 27 January 2025)

The Labour government, led by Sir Keir Starmer, has announced bold reforms to cut red tape and fast-track infrastructure development, marking a significant step in its pledge to ‘Get Britain Building.’ The new measures aim to tackle unnecessary delays caused by prolonged legal challenges, which have plagued critical infrastructure projects for years.

Currently, 58% of major infrastructure decisions are contested in court, with cases taking an average of 18 months to resolve. These delays have created costly setbacks for vital projects, including housing developments, renewable energy initiatives, and data centres. Under the proposed reforms, primary legislation will be updated to prevent appeals in cases deemed ‘Totally Without Merit’ by High Court judges, effectively closing a key loophole used to obstruct progress.

The government has emphasised that these changes will balance protecting the right to legal challenge and curbing what Sir Keir Starmer has called a growing ‘challenge culture’, where pressure groups use the courts to obstruct decisions made in the national interest. 

‘These endless legal wrangles only hold Britain back,’ Starmer stated. ‘The current system is broken. We’re cutting red tape so we can build the homes and infrastructure our country desperately needs.’

The reforms are designed to support sustainable development initiatives, such as wind farms, housing schemes, and data centres. By streamlining the legal process, the government aims to create more opportunities for builders and contractors, helping drive progress toward the UK’s ambitious net-zero targets.

The government announces new reforms to accelerate infrastructure projects.

For volume housebuilders like Devine Group, these regulatory changes are a welcome boost. The company, which has several large-scale housing projects in the pipeline for 2025, sees the reforms as a positive step toward meeting housing targets and increasing construction output.

Nigel Jordan, Managing Director at Devine Group, commented, ‘Accelerating infrastructure projects by removing unnecessary legal barriers will allow the right projects to move swiftly through the system. We are confident this is a positive step for future projects at Devine.’

The Labour government’s ‘Get Britain Building’ initiative represents a determined push to equip the UK with the modern infrastructure needed to support sustainable growth, tackle the housing crisis, and create new jobs. By cutting through red tape and addressing the root causes of project delays, the reforms signal a brighter future for the nation’s infrastructure and development ambitions.