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The Queen’s Speech: Levelling-up industry with housing?

The Queen’s Speech confirmed the Government’s priority to deliver a national recovery over the next 12 months through “levelling up”. There are over 40 references to this throughout the Background Briefing Note and a Levelling Up White Paper is promised later this year to improve livelihoods and opportunities.

Are we likely to see a levelling-up of national planning policy towards industrial and housing delivery?

Taken at face value, the commitment to modernise the planning system appears to be “…so that more homes can be built”. There is an aspiration for a simpler, faster and more modern planning system to ensure homes and infrastructure “like schools and hospitals” can be delivered quicker. But there is no mention of industry or logistics.

The Queen’s Speech outlines the Government’s plans to prepare legislation and we understand that national planning policy will also be reviewed in the coming months, so the opportunity remains to bring industry on to a level pegging with housing delivery.

We encourage Government to consider our recent report which provides recommendations on how the planning system can evolve to address the immediate and future challenges facing the industrial sector.

“Building Back Better” includes commitments to deliver:

  • A “turbo charged” recovery.
  • Infrastructure investment to create high-quality jobs.
  • At least eight Freeports to boost trade and regenerate communities.
  • The UK as a scientific “superpower”, being the global leader in life sciences supported by record levels of investment in R&D.
  • 250,000 highly skilled jobs in clean energy and new industries.

These are certainly exciting and ambitious economic commitments but there is little to suggest that the comprehensive planning reforms are being formulated with the specific needs of the industrial sector in mind.

The planning system must play to our #IndustrialStrengths and allow the sector to contribute fully to the national recovery and levelling-up agenda.

Contact Matthew Fox for more information.

12 May 2021

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