Sweeping changes to England's planning system will "cut red tape, but not standards,” the Housing Secretary has insisted.
Robert Jenrick said the Government’s latest reforms will protect green spaces while making it easier to build on "brownfield land".
The Government will publish its Planning for the Future White Paper on Thursday. It aims to boost the share of houses built by small and medium-sized building firms, which built 40 per cent of new homes 30 years ago but only 12 per cent today.
Part of the new process will involve quicker development on land which has been designated "for renewal", with a "permission in principle" approach.
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) said this approach would balance the need for proper checks with a speedier way of working.
The other two categories will see land designated for growth where new homes, hospitals and schools will be allowed automatically to empower development, while areas of outstanding natural beauty and the green belt will come under the protection category.
Mr Jenrick said it takes seven years to agree local housing plans and five years just to get a spade in the ground, and the proposed changes aim to speed up the process.
He added: "These once-in-a-generation reforms will lay the foundations for a brighter future, providing more homes for young people and creating better quality neighbourhoods and homes across the country.
"We will cut red tape, but not standards, placing a higher regard on quality, design and the environment than ever before. Planning decisions will be simple and transparent, with local democracy at the heart of the process.
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"As we face the economic effects of the pandemic, now is the time for decisive action and a clear plan for jobs and growth. Our reforms will create thousands of jobs, lessen the dominance of big builders in the system, providing a major boost for small building companies across the country."
The Tory Government last overhauled the planning system in 2012, setting up a National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) which was then revised in 2018.
The White Paper proposes that all new streets should be tree-lined and the MHCLG also says "all new homes to be carbon neutral by 2050, with no new homes delivered under the new system needed to be retrofitted".
Councils will also be forced to lay out a "local plan" of where new homes can be built, as only 50 per cent have such schemes in place.
The reforms aim to reduce the number of planning cases that get overturned at appeal by creating a "clearer, rules-based system".
A new national levy would replace the current system of developer contributions and "beautiful buildings" will be fast-tracked through the planning system.