DEFRA announces environmental planning reforms

The government has announced £500 million to accelerate environmental planning, including for the Nature Restoration Fund, with reforms also including a dedicated board to accelerate projects.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) said the funding, also for the Marine Recovery Fund and to build capacity in the system, would help faster processing of planning applications and “help developers bring their projects to life, without compromising on environmental protections”.

The Nature Recovery Fund, forming part of the Planning and Infrastructure Bill which is currently at Committee stage at the House of Lords, will introduce a levy that developers will pay to meet their environmental obligations. The Fund will initially be for meeting nutrient neutrality requirements.

And a new DEFRA Group Infrastructure Board, DEFRA said, would speed up housing developments as well as new transport and energy schemes. The board is set to “address planning issues early to keep critical projects on track”, helping accelerate the planning process for “at least” 50 major infrastructure projects.

The board, DEFRA added, would not influence the consenting process, which the Planning Inspectorate would continue to oversee.

Also under the reforms, a single environmental body will be responsible …