Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he plans to take to ensure that changes to environmental assessment regulations do not undermine the (a) Government’s 25 Year Environment Plan, (b) other environmental objectives and (c) targets set under the forthcoming Environment Bill.

As part of wider reforms of the planning system as set out in the ‘Planning for the Future’ White Paper, the Government has committed to reviewing the current systems of environmental assessment to make them more accessible, easier to understand , simpler to execute and with fewer unnecessary delays. At the same time the Government has been clear that this reformed system will maximise environmental benefits, recognising the importance of our domestic and international obligations for environmental protection.

MHCLG and DEFRA officials worked closely together on the development of Environment Bill policies, and this close co-operation is continuing in the reforms to environmental assessment. The Government sees these reforms as a key way of ensuring that the planning system will be fit and able to contribute to the achievement of its 25 Year Environment Plan, the targets that are being developed as set out in the Environment Bill, and other existing environmental targets.

The Government is currently working on its response to the ‘Planning for the Future’ consultation, and will release more information on environmental assessment and the wider planning reforms.