Defra unveils measures to streamline "outdated" environmental regulation in bid to accelerate planning approvals
The Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs has announced a series of reforms to environmental regulation aimed at driving economic growth and meeting the Government's housebuilding target of 1.5 million before the end of this Parliament.
Announcing the changes today (2 April), the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Steve Reed, said the reforms are largely based on recommendations made in a review by economist and former charity leader Dan Corry.
The Corry review characterised the current system of environmental regulation as outdated, inconsistent and highly complex.
The review made 29 recommendations in total, all of which the Government is "actively" considering, according to Defra.
Defra has meanwhile already begun work on implementing nine new measures including creating a lead regulator for major infrastructure projects to end the "merry-go-round" of developers seeking planning approvals from multiple authorities who often disagree with each other.
Defra said this measure will speed up approvals and save businesses millions in time and resources.
Environmental guidance is also being revamped, which includes a review of the existing catalogue of compliance guidance, including on protecting bats, to identify opportunities to remove duplication, ambiguity, or inconsistency.
In addition, Defra is working on streamlining permits and guidance by speeding up work to update the Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2016.
The changes to the 2016 regulations will "allow regulators to make more sensible, risk-based decisions on which activities should be exempt from environmental permits", in some cases removing them altogether for low-risk and temporary projects, Defra said.
Defra is meanwhile working on clearer guidance and measurable objectives for all Defra's regulators, starting with Natural England and the Environment Agency.
The department said the guidance change "will drive performance improvements and focus delivery on government priorities".
Defra added that progress will be closely monitored and reported on publicly.
Other changes include:
- The Planning Permit Portal: Defra will convene the environmental regulators to set out the work required to upgrade their digital systems for planning advice, including a single planning portal for all agencies. This will speed up planning applications, while building trust and transparency into the process, according to Defra.
- New Defra Infrastructure Board: This aims to accelerate the delivery of major infrastructure projects by facilitating greater collaboration and stronger oversight within Defra and its arm's-length bodies.
- More autonomy: Trusted nature groups will have new freedoms to carry out conservation and restoration work without needing to apply for multiple permissions at every step of a project.
- Green finance boost: A new industry-funded Nature Market Accelerator "will bring much-needed coherence" to nature markets, boosting investment into our natural habitats and driving growth, Defra said.
- Rolling regulatory reform: A continuous programme of reform will be established to pinpoint rapid actions, quick wins, and longer-term areas for improvements to regulation.
Secretary of State Steve Reed said: "Nature and the economy have both been in decline for too long. That changes today.
"As part of the Plan for Change, I am rewiring Defra and its arms-length bodies to boost economic growth and unleash an era of building while also supporting nature to recover.
"Dan Corry's essential report gives us a strong set of common-sense recommendations for better regulation that will get Britain building."
Adam Carey
