Sustainable Development for Nature and Growth
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The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Emma Reynolds)
This Government have committed to building 1.5 million homes and fast-tracking 150 major planning decisions this Parliament—these are essential for growth, communities, cleaner energy and better transport links.
Yet nature and biodiversity remain under pressure, and our planning system has become too slow and uncertain to support either development or nature recovery effectively. In the past, environmental requirements were challenging to navigate, blocking infrastructure without helping nature.
But this can be resolved. Independent reviews have told us that to remedy this situation we need smarter regulation, bringing better results for nature while easing the progress of sustainable development. We have already taken action to streamline the planning process through the Planning and Infrastructure Act 2025, and to deliver better outcomes for nature through proposals for the nature restoration fund; building on the ambitious commitments set out in our environmental improvement plan. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has also set up the infrastructure board to scrutinise the planning needs of complex projects, and has commenced pilots for the lead environmental regulator to provide a single point of contact to developers on environmental issues.
We must build on this momentum and move decisively to a modern, outcomes-focused framework for environmental planning. That is why I am renewing the priorities of environmental regulation to build on the Government’s plan to deliver environmental progress and sustainable growth more effectively, as a genuine win-win.
The Government, regulators and developers must each play their part. Our regulators will continue to move towards a more proactive, solutions-focused approach, prioritising outcomes over process. Developers must have a better understanding of the local nature needs of the area they are building in, and the Government will provide the clarity and investment needed to bring this all together.
I will be driving this progress in five key areas:
First, the Government are setting a clear direction for our regulators, through the new strategic policy statements for Natural England and the Environment Agency. Their publication delivers on one of Dan Corry’s key recommendations and sets a clear mandate for outcomes-focused, place-based decision making that supports economic growth while upholding all legal and environmental standards.
Secondly, to support this, we are confirming £100 million of investment over three years in our regulators for specialist staff, digital casework systems, and improved guidance, all of which builds on the significant progress made in the past year to deliver quicker and better environmental advice.
Thirdly, to keep critical national projects on track, we are establishing a new DEFRA infrastructure unit, which will oversee major projects and resolve issues early and quickly. This builds on the work of DEFRA’s infrastructure board.
Fourthly, for the first time, I will also bring developers and Government together through a development industry council, to work through practical challenges and agree shared, sustainable solutions.
In addition, we are continuing to develop our lead environmental regulator model and are announcing East West Rail as the third major project to benefit from this streamlined approach. This model strips out duplication, provides better co-ordination between regulators, and removes the potential for conflicting advice, and will help the project unlock £6.7 billion in economic growth, support 100,000 new homes, and deliver better, more frequent rail connections across the Oxford-Cambridge corridor. I have written to my colleagues who have constituencies along this route to inform them of our progress.
The benefits of this new approach are already visible. The DEFRA infrastructure board has taken early action on issues related to environmental regulation, resourcing and capability, by engaging early with developers and challenging our ALBs to problem solve upstream for priority projects.
This package marks a decisive shift towards delivering growth and nature recovery hand in hand. By strengthening regulators, improving predictability and working more closely with industry, we will deliver the next phase of Government action to accelerate the infrastructure the country needs while protecting the environment.
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