The Environment Agency has published a summary of England’s draft regional and water resources management plans. It considers whether the proposed plans will secure resilient and sustainable water supplies up to 2050. Key issues highlighted in the summary include The Agency argues that “following recent droughts that some water companies are less resilient than expected”, […]

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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 […]

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New housing, commercial and infrastructure developments are set to be “nature positive” from November onwards, the government announced, with the plans backed by £16 million of funding for Local Planning Authorities and guidance to support the new approach. Developers in England will be required to deliver 10% “Biodiversity Net Gain” when building new housing, industrial or commercial […]

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Major water projects could be fast tracked through planning under Government plans to reform the Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects (NSIP) regime. On 25th January, Michael Gove, secretary of state for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, told Parliament that his department is working with Defra, BEIS, Treasury and the Department for Transport on modernising the approach […]

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Last week the French Parliament approved a law requiring all new buildings in commercial zones to be partially covered in plants or solar panels. In a bid to make France more eco-friendly, all new buildings in commercial zones across the country must comply with new environmental legislation. The law will sanction business to either partially […]

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The Local Government Association (LGA) has conducted research entitled ‘Nutrient and water neutrality: The impact of environmental protections on housing supply’. The LGA commissioned Residential Analysts and Canal Street Research to investigate the potential impact of environmental protections on new housing delivery. A news report in inews said that ‘sewage-polluted rivers blocking construction of thousands […]

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The TCPA and the Environment Agency have launched a resource on addressing flood risk through the planning system. The video explains how and why planning must consider flood risk and explores different options and opportunities. There are also links to a range of related resources, including Environment Agency strategy and related resources Site-specific flood risk […]

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