Unblocking Growth: Fixing Planning to Unlock UK Manufacturing Investment
26.05.2026
Planning rules may not sound glamorous, but for manufacturers they shape whether businesses can grow and invest.
Our new report, Unblocking Growth: Fixing Planning to Unlock UK Manufacturing Investment, finds that the current planning system is too often acting as a barrier to industrial growth rather than enabling investment.
Expanding capacity, upgrading facilities and investing in low carbon technologies all depend on timely and predictable planning decisions. However, manufacturers report that the system is frequently slow, complex and inconsistent.
Nearly half (46%) of manufacturers say the planning system is holding back the UK’s economic potential, while 43% believe it is slowing their ability to grow or invest in their business. Almost half (48%) also identify the complexity of planning regulations as one of the biggest barriers within the current system.
The report finds that the impact of planning is not only cancelled projects, but rising costs caused by delays, compliance burdens and uncertainty. Even where projects proceed, manufacturers say the current system is increasing costs and making investment harder to deliver.
The report sets out a series of recommendations to support growth, reduce complexity and create a planning system better aligned with industrial investment, productivity and long-term competitiveness.
You can download it below to read more.
In the context of an industrial strategy focused on productivity, regional growth and the energy transition, ensuring the planning system supports manufacturing investment is essential. Yet, the current system is not fit for purpose and is too often a source of friction rather than a driver of growth.
“While Government has recognised many of these challenges and is pursuing a significant programme of planning reform, the experience of manufacturers suggests a gap between policy intent and reality. Many still encounter a system that is slow, cumbersome and difficult to navigate. If Government is to deliver on its number one mission to boost growth it must now go further and faster, ensuring planning shifts from being a barrier to a driver.
