Ministers say planning guidance, funding and infrastructure unit will help regulators speed up decision‑making without lowering environmental standards
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has published guidelines which will give environmental regulators a mandate to prioritise outcomes over process, leading to faster decisions on housing and infrastructure projects.
The reformed regulations set out in the new Strategic Policy Statements will speed up decision-making by Natural England and the Environment Agency without compromising standards, according to the government.
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has also announced £100m in funding over three years to fund specialist staff and digital systems to help increase the speed of completing environmental assessments.
Defra also announced the establishment of an Infrastructure Unit to tackle planning problems with major projects as they emerged, with the most complex issues set to be passed to the department’s infrastructure board.
It also announced that it plans to meet developers in the spring in what it calls the Development Industry Council, which will discuss practical solutions to planning challenges.
Environment secretary Emma Reynolds said the strategic policy statements would give the regulators “a clear mandate to deliver on our twin missions – economic growth and nature recovery”.
“Today marks a decisive shift in our drive to make regulation work for the people of Britain, as we build more homes, restore nature and strengthen our communities in a decade of national renewal,” she said.
In the same statement, Defra announced that East West Rail would henceforth be subject to a single lead environmental regulator, which will be the Environment Agency.
“Having one lead environmental regulator in charge speeds up approvals and helps projects like East West Rail to progress at pace, without compromising our ironclad commitment to the environment,” said Reynolds.
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