Planning Reform 2025: Consultation and Engagement in a Changing NSIP Landscape

The UK government’s January 2025 Planning Reform Working Paper proposes significant changes to consultation and engagement for Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects (NSIPs). These reforms aim to accelerate project delivery, reduce bureaucracy, and potentially halve approval times. 

At Ardent, we welcome this ambition. We believe passionately that infrastructure is a driver of national growth and human opportunity. Our mission is to deliver life-improving change for future communities, and infrastructure is at the heart of this transformation.     

A new railway line is more than tracks and stations, it is a gateway to opportunity. It creates access to education, employment, and new connections, shaping lives in ways that wouldn’t have been possible before. While it’s essential to talk about big numbers and macroeconomic benefits, it is just as important to recognise the personal impact of infrastructure: better places to live, better lives lived. 

Having worked on over 100 NSIPs, we also recognise that the UK must address inefficiencies that slow down decision-making. Many of the proposed reforms align with best practice, but they also raise important questions, particularly about maintaining meaningful engagement with near neighbours and indirectly affected landowners (Category 3 stakeholders). 

As the Head of Engagement for the UK, this is central to what we do. 

A Positive Step: Thematic Reporting That Adds Value, Not Bureaucracy 

One of the most welcome changes in the reform package is the move towards thematic reporting – where consultation summaries focus on key themes rather than listing every individual response. 

This is a subtle but hugely positive improvement. Excessively long reports can dilute key messages and disengage stakeholders. No one benefits from a 30-page spreadsheet of raw comments – at worst, it creates distance between promoters and communities rather than fostering meaningful dialogue. 

When it comes to engagement, there is no mileage in distance—and well-written, clear reports help tell a story and build relationships. 

The government’s rationale is clear: reduce administrative burdens and ensure that engagement remains focused, accessible, and impactful. By spending less time compiling exhaustive documentation, promoters can spend more time on real engagement—talking to communities, working with stakeholders, and addressing concerns in real time. 

The Bigger Picture: Reporting as a Relationship-Building Tool 

The changes are rightly focused on making reporting more efficient to speed up the consenting process. That’s a positive step forward. 

But we shouldn’t forget the powerful role that reporting plays in fostering, building, and nurturing positive relationships between promoters, communities, and stakeholders. 

At Ardent, we actively encourage our clients to go beyond producing a static, technical report. Instead, we develop public-facing, interactive summaries that show: 

 ✔ What was learned from consultation exercises. 

✔ How that feedback has shaped decision-making. 

Social media—especially TikTok—presents a huge opportunity to tell this story alongside more traditional reports. We regularly work with local social media influencers to help deliver these messages in a way that resonates with local communities. 

Even the term “report” feels alien to many members of the public. They don’t want to read a report- they want to be part of an ongoing story. 

And stories don’t deal in spreadsheets and tables—they deal in themes, narratives, and impact. Of course, detailed data matters, and in some cases, structured responses are essential. But if we want consultation to be truly meaningful, we must frame it as an evolving conversation—not just a regulatory requirement. 

Early and Meaningful Engagement – A Best Practice Approach 

The introduction of a legal duty for pre-application conflict resolution is another positive step forward. This reform requires promoters and statutory consultees to resolve disputes before submission, reducing delays caused by late-stage objections during examination. 

Early engagement isn’t just about identifying problems—it’s about designing better solutions. Many (though not all) complex project challenges can be addressed before they become contentious, improving scheme design and reducing friction between developers, communities, and decision-makers. 

However, early engagement doesn’t always mean full resolution—and that’s okay. What matters is starting the conversation at the right time. Engaging stakeholders early on might not eliminate concerns, but it allows for constructive dialogue. Over time, many stakeholders can come to terms with certain impacts, meaning they can focus their energy on areas where improvements can be made. 

The later you start that dialogue, the less likely it is to be constructive. Some things simply take time – and engagement is a journey, not a one-off exercise. 

At Ardent, we ensure our clients properly consider the value of early engagement. It may not always be necessary, but when it is, it can be a hugely powerful tool for de-risking a project and driving successful outcomes. 

For projects to succeed, engagement cannot be a tick-box exercise—it must be a tool for collaboration. As we often say: When it comes to stakeholders here is no mileage in distance—you have to keep key stakeholders close. 

From Conflict to Collaboration 

The introduction of a legal duty for pre-application conflict resolution is another positive step forward. This reform requires promoters and statutory consultees to resolve disputes before submission, reducing delays caused by late-stage objections during examination. There is a practical element to this in terms of helping ensure examinations run as smoothly as possible but as with the reporting changes there is also a wider benefit of more active early engagement.  

Early engagement isn’t just about identifying problems—it’s about designing better solutions and better projects. Many (though not all) complex project challenges can be addressed before they become contentious, improving scheme design and reducing friction between developers, communities, and decision-makers. In almost all instances the key stakeholders are the ones with the knowledge promoters don’t poses and would benefit from having (even if they don’t act on that knowledge). In many instances the key stakeholders are also end users and the ones who will live with the project for decades. Why wait to engage them? 

However, early engagement doesn’t always mean full resolution—and that’s okay. What matters is starting the conversation at the right time. Engaging stakeholders early on might not eliminate concerns, but it allows for constructive dialogue. Over time, many stakeholders can come to terms with certain impacts, meaning they can focus their energy on areas where improvements can be made. 

The later you start that dialogue, the less likely it is to be constructive. Some things simply take time—and engagement is a journey, not a one-off exercise. 

At Ardent, we ensure our clients properly consider the value of early engagement. It may not always be necessary, but when it is, it can be a hugely powerful tool for de-risking a project and driving successful outcomes. 

For projects to succeed, engagement cannot be a tick-box exercise—it must be a tool for collaboration. As we often say: 

There is no mileage in distance – you have to keep key stakeholders close. 

Why Category 3 Engagement Still Matters 

The proposed removal of the obligation to engage with Category 3 stakeholders—those indirectly affected by a project but who do not have land or rights within the order limits—is one of the most notable and potentially risk-laden changes in the government’s reform package. 

At Ardent, we understand this change better than anyone. As the UK’s leading supplier of land and stakeholder engagement services in the delivery of NSIPs, we know exactly how critical it is to get engagement with near neighbours and indirectly affected landowners right. While this reform may reduce administrative burdens, it does not mean promoters should see it as an opportunity to bypass engagement with these key stakeholders. In fact, quite the opposite. 

Ardent’s public opinion polling has shown that local land and property owners, including those impacted by infrastructure proposals, are among the most trusted voices in their communities. They are far more trusted than project promoters, developers, or politicians. The wider public listens to what these stakeholders say—whether positive or negative. If they feel ignored, sidelined, or dismissed, their concerns will carry weight in the wider public debate, making engagement more difficult for everyone involved. 

When done well, engagement with these stakeholders can be a powerful tool for wider project success. It allows promoters to build trust, address misconceptions, and create allies rather than adversaries. These stakeholders aren’t just individuals with concerns—they are key opinion formers who shape how local communities perceive a project. If they feel listened to and respected, they can help bring communities on board. 

Conversely, poor engagement, or worse, no engagement at all – creates uncertainty, resentment, and resistance. A disengaged or frustrated landowner is not just one stakeholder lost – they can influence an entire community’s view of the project. A single landowner who feels they have been treated unfairly or ignored can become a rallying point for broader opposition, shifting the narrative from one of progress to one of conflict. 

Trust is one of the hardest things to build and the easiest things to lose. The removal of Category 3 engagement requirements may save promoters time in the short term, but in the long term, failing to engage could create hostility among influential community figures, amplify opposition in public consultations, and erode trust not just in the project, but in the planning system itself. Once lost, trust is incredibly difficult to regain, and a project that starts on the wrong foot often struggles to recover.   

While the removal of Category 3 engagement obligations may simplify statutory consultation requirements, promoters should not interpret this as an excuse to sideline near neighbours. At Ardent, we have seen first-hand how well-managed engagement with landowners can help de-risk a project—and how poor engagement can derail one. These stakeholders hold influence far beyond their own interests. Their voices will be heard. Promoters should ensure that what they say helps build trust, not erode it. 

The government has recognised the need for change, and in most cases, these reforms reflect what consultation and engagement practitioners have been advocating for some time—which is great! 

However, how promoters interpret and act on these changes will be key. Just because something is no longer a requirement doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be done—Category 3 landowners being a prime example. 

That said, unless the government follows up this paper with further guidance, I do think they may be missing a trick. Better consultation and engagement not only enhance project acceptance but also make them more effective, efficient, and achievable. 

For that to happen, promoters must carefully balance their strong ambition to deliver change with genuinely listening to stakeholders, understanding concerns, and embracing helpful advice throughout the development process – not just towards the end. The government’s ambition to reduce costs and streamline engagement is valid, but the solution isn’t just removing consultation obligations. Instead, the core principles of engagement, and the benefits of meaningful consultation, must run through the veins of every project. 

The government can talk all it likes about the importance of infrastructure and its frustration with ‘NIMBYs’ (a term I’ve deliberately avoided using until now). But these so-called opponents are: 

• Real people whose lives, in many cases, will be dramatically changed. We have to acknowledge this. 

• Voters—potentially frustrated voters who won’t forget how they were treated in the name of ‘economic growth.’ 

• The future users and custodians of this infrastructure—the people who will ultimately deliver its long-term social value. 

 

We haven’t discussed it in detail, but one positive step in the Planning Reform Working Paper is the proposal for tailored consultation strategies based on sector-specific needs, moving away from a one-size-fits-all approach. This is a step in the right direction, but it must be accompanied by a commitment to engagement that is meaningful and inclusive. 

We are already seeing shifts in how promoters approach engagement, using smarter consultation tools, better public polling, and digital engagement strategies to improve both efficiency and inclusivity. 

At Ardent, we are helping clients across the UK (and beyond) navigate this evolving landscape, and ultimately, we’re helping them feel proud of what they are delivering and how they are engaging people along the way. 

If you want our help or advice on using consultation and engagement to drive your project forward, reach out today!