Environmental regulations inquiry: local planning authorities to give evidence
Monday 23 March 2023
On Tuesday 14 March 2023, the House of Lords Built Environment Committee will be taking evidence from two panels of witnesses for its inquiry on the impact of environmental regulations on development.
These sessions, which are open to the public, will be held in Committee Room 3 of the House of Lords and streamed live on Parliament TV.
At 10.45am the committee will hear from:
- Richard Blyth, Head of Policy Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI)
- Carolyn McKenzie, Chair of Environment Board, Association of Directors of Environment, Economy, Planning and Transport (ADEPT).
This session will focus on the challenges facing local planning authorities in administering environmental regulations. It will consider: the roles played by Natural England and the Environment Agency; how the challenges vary for different local authority structures; and the potential impact of the new form of environmental assessment contained within the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill.
At 11.45am the committee will hear from:
- David Lowe, Delivery Leader: Ecology, Historic Environment & Landscape, Warwickshire County Council
- Hamish Walke, Water Neutrality Lead, Crawley Borough Council.
This session will focus on understanding the approach of two local councils to addressing biodiversity net gain and water neutrality requirements. This will include how they have worked with other public bodies, councils and developers, to see continued delivery of development alongside fulfilment of environmental regulations.
More about the inquiry on the impact of environmental regulations on development
The Government has set out, through primary and secondary legislation, a number of environmental requirements for development of the built environment. This has resulted in a framework of environmental protection for development in England which is largely administered through the planning system. Examples of such regulations include those on biodiversity net gain, nutrient neutrality, habitats and air quality.
This inquiry will assess the governance, the associated costs for developers and promoters, and the impact on the delivery of projects, of nationally defined environmental regulations in England.
The committee has published a call for evidence - the deadline for submissions of written evidence is 31 March 2023.
This inquiry has its own webpage. The committee’s work can be followed on its website and via Twitter.
