Housing, energy and infrastructure developments could be fast-tracked in some areas and blocked entirely in others under a major overhaul of Australia's planning rules.

The federal government is promising to enshrine "regional planning" in national law, allowing officials to consider the combined impact of developments in a particular area, instead of looking at them on a case-by-case basis.

Environment Minister Murray Watt will use an address to a green energy conference to unveil the planned reforms.

"For the renewable energy sector that means faster yeses and faster nos, while still ensuring that community and environmental concerns about potential projects are being managed carefully," Senator Watt will tell the Smart Energy Queensland conference in Brisbane.

A major review of the

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