UK communities will get new homes, better transport and cleaner energy sooner, thanks to a more dynamic, modern approach to regulation.
New guidelines in the form of Strategic Policy Statements will give Natural England and the Environment Agency – the two most powerful environmental regulators – a mandate to prioritise outcomes over process, speeding up decision-making while maintaining high environmental standards, News Cover reports, citing the UK government's official website.
This will be backed by £100 million, spread over three years, to fund specialist staff and modern digital systems, so regulators can help developers to complete environmental assessments more quickly and accurately – cutting costly delays.
A new Infrastructure Unit will keep major projects on track, tackling planning problems as they emerge, with the most complex issues passed to the Defra Infrastructure Board for further scrutiny. Moreover, a new Development Industry Council will bring developers and government together in the spring to discuss practical solutions to planning challenges.
That same drive to streamline decision-making is behind the appointment of a single, Lead Environmental Regulator for East West Rail. Rather than the developer dealing with a merry-go-round of overlapping environmental bodies, the Environment Agency will coordinate streamlined, joined-up advice from all relevant regulators. This more efficient and streamlined way of working will allow East West Rail to focus on delivering this transformative rail project for communities in Oxford, Cambridge, Milton Keynes, Bedford and beyond.
East West Rail is set to unlock £6.7 billion in economic growth, support 100,000 new homes, and provide more frequent trains for passengers between Oxford and Cambridge. It represents a significant step towards delivering the Oxford-Cambridge Growth Corridor, which could add up to £78 billion to the UK economy by 2035 and supports the Chancellor’s drive to move “further and faster” to kick-start growth.
