Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) is seeking views on their approach to developing Environmental Outcomes Reports to support government departments in the next stage of policy development. Further information is available here. Consultation closes on 9 June 2023.
Part 6 of the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill will secure powers to implement a new system of environmental assessment known as Environmental Outcomes Reports. This will allow the government to replace the EU-derived Strategic Environmental Assessment and Environmental Impact Assessment processes with a streamlined system that places greater focus on delivering environmental ambitions.
The introduction of outcomes-based approach to the Environmental Outcomes Reports allows the government to reflect its environmental priorities directly into plan-making and decision-making process on the largest developments. The feedback from this consultation will help establish the approach to developing these environmental outcomes across government.
DLUHC is required to review the two existing sets of environmental impact assessment regulations it is responsible for every five years to consider whether the regulations have met the intended objectives of the legislation and understand their effect on business. The regulations are:
- The Town and Country Planning (Environmental Impact Assessment) Regulations 2017; and
- The Infrastructure Planning (Environmental Impact Assessment) Regulations 2017.