The legislation includes several measures which the government claims will accelerate delivery of housing in the UK.

This includes “streamlining planning decisions” through the introduction of a national scheme of delegation, clarifying which schemes require committee approval and which don’t.

Councils will also be “empowered” to set their own planning fees to cover costs.

The process around compulsory land purchases will be reformed to ensure compensation paid to landowners is proportionate, with the aim of removing speculative “hope value” and help accelerate transactions.

Development corporations are also receiving attention. These were used to deliver post-war towns, and Labour plan to use the bill to use these again for large-scale development delivery.

A system of “strategic planning” will be introduced in England specifically, with the aim of boosting growth by ensuring better coordination between various parties. Mayors, and in some cases local authorities, will be tasked with drawing up these plans.

A Nature Restoration Fund will also be established to allow housebuilders to meet environmental obligations faster, pooling contributions to fund larger environmental interventions.

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“We’re creating the biggest building boom in a generation - as a major step forward in getting Britain building again and unleashing economic growth in every corner of the country, by lifting the bureaucratic burden which has been holding back developments for too long,” said Angela Rayner, deputy prime minister and secretary state for housing.

“The Planning and Infrastructure Bill will unleash seismic reforms to help builders get shovels in the ground quicker to build more homes, and the vital infrastructure we need to improve transport links and make Britain a clean energy superpower to protect billpayers.”

The bill has so far been welcomed by the construction industry.

“The Labour government is wasting no time in proving that their manifesto pledges on planning reform are real,” said Richard Beresford, CEO at the National Federation of Builders (NFB).

“Planning is a considerable barrier to growth and delivery, not just for housebuilders but for all construction projects, and it has a knock-on effect to the broader industry because clients spend so much of their budget on bureaucracy, not on project outcomes.”

Brian Berry, CEO at the Federation of Master Builders (FMB), added: “Small builders across the UK stand ready to play their part in delivering the homes we need, but time and time again we’ve seen barriers keeping them out of the market.

“We know from research carried out by the FMB that around three quarters of small builders view the planning system as the number one issue holding back the delivery of new homes, while lack of viable and available land are also major challenges.

“Supporting small builders through the planning system and reducing unnecessary bureaucracy will be key to opening up small sites, and today’s announcement will be welcomed by many across the industry.