Thousands of new homes and major infrastructure projects across the UK are set to speed up, as the government launches a six-week consultation today (16 July 2026) to streamline legal challenge processes. The aim is to unblock thousands of stalled developments, including large-scale housing, transport upgrades and energy schemes.
The proposed reforms would extend judicial review changes beyond Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects (NSIPs), targeting costly delays caused by weak or meritless claims. While acknowledging the importance of judicial review as a safeguard for access to justice, the government wants to prevent unmeritorious challenges from stalling crucial projects. This includes measures such as limiting repeated unsuccessful claims and introducing clearer court timetables.
Minister for Courts and Legal Services, Sarah Sackman KC MP, highlighted the need for new homes, improved transport links and essential infrastructure, stating that legal challenges lacking merit should not hinder developments crucial for job creation, economic growth and community strengthening. She reiterated the government's commitment to protecting access to justice while accelerating project delivery.
The initiative is part of a wider drive to accelerate planning decisions, with the aim of delivering 150 major infrastructure decisions within the current Parliament. So far, 42 decisions on major infrastructure projects have been made, double the number compared to this stage in the previous Parliament. The government has also confirmed that changes coming into force next week will remove mandatory pre-application consultation requirements for NSIPs, potentially cutting up to 12 months from the planning process and saving an estimated £1 billion.
According to latest figures, approximately 392,400 homes have been delivered since the start of this Parliament up to 14 June 2026 – more than a quarter of the government's target to deliver 1.5 million homes. The consultation will consider how any changes can be carefully targeted to avoid placing undue pressure on court resources while maintaining access to justice for legitimate concerns.