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Planning

Planning

Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project (NSIP)

What is a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project (NSIP)?

Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects (NSIPs) are large-scale, nationally important development projects in England or Wales.

As defined by the Planning Act 2008, they fall into the following categories:

  • energy

  • transport

  • waste

  • waste water and

  • water.

NSIPs do not require planning permission from the local authority. Instead, the developer must apply to the Planning Inspectorate to examine the application and make a recommendation to the Secretary of State, who makes the final decision.

If the NSIP falls within or near to the district, Huntingdonshire District Council is consulted at different times in the application process as either a host or neighbouring authority. The consent for these developments is made through a different permission called a Development Consent Order (DCO).

The process

The NSIP process is divided into six stages:

  • pre-application

  • acceptance

  • pre-examination

  • examination

  • recommendation and

  • decision.

This process can take between 15 and 17 months from the formal submission of the application and the decision being made. As some stages do not have formal timescales, this timeframe may vary between projects.

This process is broken down by the following:

  • Where the applicant starts to create their application. They are required to consult with affected people and organisations, and create documents outlining the project’s environmental impact

  • The time this stage takes may vary depending on the complexity of the project.

  • This is where the applicant sends the Planning Inspectorate their application documents who check if they can accept the application for examination

  • This stage takes a maximum of 28 days.

  • The Examining Authority is appointed and anyone who wants to have their say needs to register as an interested party at this stage. The applicant must publish that the application has been accepted by the Planning Inspectorate

  • This stage takes between 3-5 months.

  • The Examining Authority asks questions about the proposed development. The applicant and interested parties can submit comments at each deadline and attend any hearings that may take place

  • This stage takes a maximum of 6 months.

  • The Examining Authority writes its recommendation report to send to the relevant Secretary of State

  • This takes a maximum of 3 months.

  • This stage is when the Secretary of State reviews the report and makes the final decision

  • This stage takes a maximum of 3 months.

Our role

For applications that fall within Huntingdonshire District Council (HDC) will be involved in the NSIP process. This will be as either a host or neighbouring authority. A host authority is where the land included in the application falls within the administrative boundary, whereas neighbouring authorities share a boundary with a host authority. This may also include working collaboratively with other councils, such as Cambridgeshire County Council.

As part of these roles, HDC may be involved in consultations that take place across the NSIP process, as well as ensuring a full scrutiny of the proposed project is undertaken. This could include providing the applicant with a local perspective on the proposed project, and if consent is granted and the DCO has been issued, HDC may be responsible for the discharge of certain requirements. This, however, does not include any decisions made on the DCO application as the decision is made by the Secretary of State.

Planning and Infrastructure Bill (2025)

The Planning and Infrastructure Bill (2025) proposes changes to the current requirements for consultations for the Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects (NSIPs) process. This could include:

  • changes to the application acceptance requirements

  • revising requirements for consultation reports so that they summarise the themes and issues raised

  • removing the requirement to consult ‘Category 3’ persons during the pre-application stage.

For more information on the stage of this Bill and its content, please see: Planning and Infrastructure Bill - Parliamentary Bills - UK Parliament