The build bill
What the Planning and Infrastructure Bill means for tech
Merry YIMBY Christmas, one and all.
The Planning and Infrastructure Bill is finally here (you can read the text in its entirety here) and to celebrate, the whole UK growth agenda family gathered at Number 10 Downing Street on Monday. A who’s who of campaigners got an early preview of the legislation.
The overall impression from those I spoke to was positive. And while on first look the bill may not seem like a big deal for the technology industry, there is much that could have an impact for the sector.
Key reforms include speeding up connections to the energy grid, which have been blighted by delays, with renewable energy projects left waiting for years to be hooked up.
Sam Richards of Britain Remade, who was at the briefing, told me that addressing these “zombie connections” should allow the UK “to hook up new clean energy, new renewables, new batteries and new data centres”.
That last part is important. As the government makes noises of embracing the digital revolution and AI, the question of how to power an expected huge upsurge in data centre power usage will be critical.
The changes also aim to streamline the process for building new homes and infrastructure by addressing several issues. These include speeding up compulsory purchase orders (CPOs), reforms of planning committees and a rethink of how to protect nature without forever holding up new projects.
Getting new transport links and homes built could be key to creating the kind of dynamic Britain that could expand its tech industry. And not just in London. Whether it’s by expanding the role of Cambridge or kicking Greater Manchester into gear, many see opportunities for the rest of the country – if we can get building.
Put simply, the UK is still an expensive place to live, run a business or to move around. All that affects how well it can host a thriving tech industry, especially without the kind of economic growth needed to offset those costs.
Some of the initial excitement wore off once the bill was introduced in full to Parliament on Tuesday. Pro-growth advocates noted that the new approach may not go far enough to stop vexatious legal claims from holding up projects. Meanwhile the changes to CPOs and nature protection have the potential to become hot-button issues on which opposition to the legislation could be built.
The bill now goes on its long journey through Parliament, with the date of the second reading in the Commons yet to be announced. Watch this space.
Teatime scroll Each week I share links to writings, events, tweets and other conversation-starters. If you have something you think should be in here, feel free to email or DM me.
This essay by Jack Wiseman makes a compelling case for the importance of technology as a way to uphold sovereignty. The UK, he writes, has something unique to offer in the coming “compressed 21st century”, as the “harbinger for reasonableness, patience, common sense, with whiggish eagerness for improvement”.
A group of founders including Harry Stebbings have banded together to form Project Europe, which will invest in young (under 25) founders who want to start their businesses in Europe.
The value of industrial contracts secured by UK companies from the European Space Agency (ESA) has risen to record levels, going some way towards closing the gap between the amount the country invests in the programme and what it gets back. The UK now receives 99p for every £1 invested in the ESA.
In the Guardian, Leigh Phillips argues that technological progress is often backed by public investment and that the left should be proud of this fact instead of giving in to technophobia.