Planning: Regulation
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the policy paper entitled A new approach to ensure regulators and regulation support growth, published on 17 March 2025, which public body will be designated as the lead regulator for major projects.
Answered by Emma Hardy
As the Government announced on 17 March a lead environmental regulator will be appointed for all major projects in which multiple environmental regulators have an interest, to make decisions on their behalf. This will reduce layers of regulation and create a single front door for major projects.
This model will be tested through a series of projects this year, which could start with the Lower Thames Crossing subject to the planning process, as well as a new town-related housing project and future schemes like Heathrow expansion. We will assign a lead environmental regulator as part of this pilot phase. We are also asking industry to come forward with suggestions of additional projects which meet the steering criteria where they want to trial this new approach.
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