The government has green-lit the largest number of major infrastructure projects in the first year of a parliament in history, with 21 major infrastructure planning decisions made in its first year.

Projects given the go-head include the Lower Thames Crossing, Mona Offshore Windfarm, Simister Island development in the Manchester area and the expansion to Gatwick airport.

Earlier this year the prime minister set the government a target of 150 planning decisions on major infrastructure projects as part of the Plan for Change.

It says reforms in the Planning and Infrastructure Bill, including the removal of onerous statutory pre-application requirements and cutting back meritless legal challenges from three to one, the government remains on track to meet this target and make sure Britain is once again a destination for major investment and growth.

Housing secretary Steve Reed said: “We are backing our builders, brickies and businesses to get Britain building.

“We’ve already said yes to major projects that will create more well-paid jobs providing clean power and new roads.

“We will go further to streamline planning rules to speed up new homes, data centres and businesses that will put an affordable home and well-paid job within reach of people in every part of our country.”

The government has now announced its plans for the next generation of new towns and the Planning and Infrastructure Bill remains on track to become law - plus new plans have been revealed to build on brownfield sites faster. 

The previous government saw a total of 57 decisions during its full term between December 2019 to May 2024.

A further four decisions have been made by the government in its second year, bringing the current total to 25, with a further 10 projects currently on the table.

List of approved major infrastructure projects so far include:

• Gate Burton Energy Park, Lincolnshire
• Mallard Pass Solar Project, near Essendine on the border between Rutland and Lincolnshire
• Sunnica Energy Farm, four sites in East Cambridgeshire and West Suffolk
• Cottam Solar Project, crossing the county border between Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire
• Bramford to Twinstead, upgrading electricity transmission network between Bramford substation in Suffolk and Twinstead Tee in Essex
• Immingham Eastern Ro-Ro Terminal, North Lincolnshire
• Rivenhall IVMF and Energy Centre, integrated waste management facility in Essex
• Heckington Fen Solar Park, Lincolnshire
• West Burton Solar Project, county border between Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire
• Immingham Green Energy Terminal, Lincolnshire
• North Lincolnshire Green Energy Park
• Lower Thames Crossing
• London Luton Airport Expansion
• Rampion 2 Offshore Wind Farm, off the Sussex coast
• Cambridge Waste Water Treatment Plant
• Viking CCS Pipeline, 55km underground pipeline built from Immingham to the old Theddlethorpe Gas Terminal in Lincolnshire
• East Yorkshire Solar Farm, near Howdon, Humberside
• M5 Junction 10 Improvement Scheme, near Cheltenham
• Oaklands Farm Solar Park, South Derbyshire
• Mona Offshore Wind Farm, east Irish Sea
• Byers Gill Solar, located across neighbouring sites between Darlington and Stockton
• Morgan Offshore Wind Project, Irish Sea
• M60/M62/M66 Simister Island, Greater Manchester
• London Gatwick Airport Expansion