Planning: Environment Protection
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 15 September 2025 to Question 74339 on Planning: Environment Protection, when he expects the Environmental Outcomes Reports framework to replace the environmental assessment systems.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook
As set out in the Written Ministerial Statement I made on 16 December 2024 (HCWS317), we will, in due course, replace the current EU derived systems of Environmental Impact Assessment and Strategic Environmental Assessment with Environmental Outcomes Reports (EORs). These will be a more effective and outcome-focused tool for managing the effects of development on the natural environment.
The Levelling Up and Regeneration Act 2023 contains a number of duties to consult on the core elements of the new EOR system, including the setting of outcomes and repealing existing legislation.
The government will consult on draft regulations in due course following policy development and engagement with key stakeholders.
Until a new system is implemented, current legislation on environmental assessment and its supporting guidance continues to apply.
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