Welsh Government outlines measures to speed up planning system
The Welsh Government has published a statement by the Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Energy and Planning, Rebecca Evans MS, setting out improvements to the planning system aimed at making Wales the fastest country in the UK to determine infrastructure applications. The update reports that in 2025 Wales determined 13 Developments of National Significance and reduced average decision times by six weeks to 30 weeks, supported by expanded powers for Planning and Environment Decisions Wales (PEDW). The statement notes that PEDW’s authority to determine renewable energy projects of up to 50 megawatts enabled seven delegated decisions to be completed 10–15 weeks ahead of the 36-week statutory deadline and contributed to an 86% increase in enforcement decisions by helping to clear appeals backlogs. Further reforms are planned for 2026 following commencement of the Infrastructure (Wales) Act 2024 (I(W)A 2024), which introduces a modern consenting system and enables full cost recovery. Additional measures include increased planning application fees from 1 December 2025, renewed performance monitoring, expanded workforce capacity through bursaries and senior planner roles, continued support from Net Zero Industry Wales, and a commissioned report by Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) Cymru on long-term workforce planning to ensure sufficient planning capacity.