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Chancellor appoints infrastructure and planning adviser to clear path for new investments

ended 12. September 2025

Planning lawyer Catherine Howard has been appointed to advise Chancellor Rachel Reeves to help drive through the next phase of the government’s planning reforms with new Housing Secretary, Steve Reed, to ‘get Britain building', HM Treasury has announced today.

The Chancellor has vowed that the Autumn Budget will focus on building an economy that works for working people by taking action to reduce inflation, keep a grip on the public finances and kickstart economic growth.

With the Planning and Infrastructure Bill going through Parliament and barriers to private investment being torn down, the Chancellor is pushing ahead to create the conditions to secure vital long-term investments in UK infrastructure and support Britain’s economic renewal.

Specialising in major infrastructure projects, Catherine is currently a Partner at Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer LLP, with expertise in Development Consent Orders which provide planning permission for nationally significant infrastructure projects, environmental regulation, and Judicial Reviews.

Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rachel Reeves, said: “I am determined we do what it takes to get Britain building, unlock private investment and deliver an economy that works for working people – and rewards working people. I look forward to working with Catherine to deliver this.”

Any thoughts, ASAP please.

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Tony RedondoVerified
Founder at Cosmos Currency Exchange
This move has merit. It shows the government recognizes that planning and regulatory processes create significant bottlenecks to infrastructure development, and bringing in specialized legal expertise to streamline these processes while maintaining oversight is sensible. However, the broader economic context undermines these efforts. Britain faces a severe skills shortage, while increasing employer taxes effectively taxes jobs out of existence. With inflation running nearly double the Bank of England's target and interest rates likely to remain elevated, these planning reforms alone won't deliver meaningful results. The government needs to stop treating businesses as revenue sources and instead create conditions that allow entrepreneurs and business owners to drive growth. The best policy is often getting out of their way.