As announced in the recent Plan for Water, the government has published a new National Policy Statement for water resources infrastructure. There is also a summary of responses and government response to the recent consultation on the Statement.

In an (un)timely report published the data after the new National Policy Statement, the National Infrastructure Commission says that stronger coordination of environment and community benefit needed to get planning timescales back on track.

A new data platform to share environmental information and effective ways of addressing the impact of proposed infrastructure projects will enable stronger protection for natural habitats and speed up schemes crucial to the net zero transition, according to a new report by the National Infrastructure Commission.

The review by the government’s official infrastructure advisers also recommends local communities are offered more tangible direct benefits for hosting infrastructure that supports national objectives. A menu of benefits for hosting major schemes might include proximity based payments for households or funding for local projects. The Commission says the mandatory adoption of such a framework by developers would provide greater consistency at national level on the benefits received by local communities for helping the UK meet its infrastructure needs.