Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of amending the Development Consent Order application process to speed up the delivery of the River Thames Scheme.

The Secretary of State is aware of the importance of the River Thames Scheme in reducing flood risk and enhancing resilience for communities along the Thames. The Development Consent Order (DCO) application process plays a critical role in ensuring that large-scale infrastructure projects, such as this, are thoroughly assessed for environmental, social, and economic impacts before moving forward.

While the Government acknowledges the importance of delivering key infrastructure projects more efficiently to address pressing challenges such as flood protection, any amendments to the DCO process must balance the need for efficiency with the necessity of proper due diligence. This ensures that projects are delivered responsibly, with full consideration of environmental impacts, stakeholder input, and community needs.

The Government is continually reviewing planning and infrastructure processes, and any specific changes to the DCO process would require careful evaluation to avoid unintended consequences, such as compromising the rigor of environmental assessments or public consultation.