The government has announced reforms to regulatory standards for construction and environmental safeguarding
The UK environmental regulation reforms are intended to streamline the approach and drive growth for both developers and nature.
The reforms come on the back of a review, commissioned by secretary of state for environment, food, and rural affairs Steve Reeds and led by Dan Corry, found that the current system is bloated.
The current UK environmental regulation reforms are “outdated, inconsistent and highly complex”
The review makes 29 recommendations to make the regulations more streamlined. Some of these recommendations are:
- Establish a single, lead regulator for major infrastructure projects to simplify and speed up obtaining planning approvals, rather than having to obtain them from multiple authorities
- Review environmental compliance guidance to remove duplication, ambiguity, and inconsistency
- Streamline permits and guidance such as updating the Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2016, allowing regulators the ability to make more sensible and risk-based decisions on exemptions.
- Establish a planning permit portal for all agencies
- Establish a new DEFRA infrastructure board, speeding up delivery of major infrastructure projects through collaboration and oversight within DEFRA and its arm’s-length bodies
- Allow trusted nature groups more autonomy to carry out conservation and restoration work without needing multiple permissions. An example is given for collaboration between Natural England and the National Trust, allowing for a decrease in consent, permit and licence applications
- Boost green finance via a Nature Market Accelerator to boost investment in natural habitats
- Establish clearer guidance and measurable objectives for DEFRA regulators through strategic policy statements, driving performance improvements and focusing on delivery for government bodies
- Build a continuously rolling regulatory reform, allowing rapid action and adaptation
There are currently over 3,500 regulations
The overflow of regulations prevent nature groups, developers, and farmers from building much needed infrastructure and drain costs.
Secretary of state for environment, food and rural affairs, 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.”
Economist and former charity leader Dan Corry, who led the review, said: “Our current system for environmental regulation lets down both nature and growth; we must focus on good outcomes and nature enhancement, not on rigidly preserving everything at any cost.
“This review clearly shows that simply scrapping regulations isn’t the answer – instead, we need modern, streamlined regulation that is easier for everyone to use. While short-term trade-offs may be needed, these reforms will ultimately deliver a win-win for both nature and economic growth in the longer run.”
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