Source · Select Committees · Energy Security and Net Zero Committee
Recommendation 34
34
Accepted
Confirm steps to reduce unnecessary costs and delays in project-by-project planning approach.
Recommendation
The Government should consider how guidance in the National Policy Statements could help to achieve this and confirm what further steps it is taking to reduce unnecessary costs and delays incurred due to the current project-by-project approach. (Recommendation, Paragraph 81) 56
Government response summary AI-generated
The government confirms that the SSEP, MSPri, and OWEIP policies will be fully included, as appropriate, in future updates to the National Policy Statements to help achieve a coordinated approach and reduce costs and delays.
Summary of the government's response below — read the verbatim text to verify.
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government · verbatim extract
Accepted
The SSEP, MSPri and OWEIP are developing areas of policy and will be fully included, as appropriate, in future updates to the National Policy Statements. 36. We are gravely concerned by reports that many ecological enhancements and landscape mitigations promised by developers are never delivered in practice. This indicates systemic failings, brings the planning system into disrepute, and questions whether the government will be able to fulfil its ambitions to build critical infrastructure in a nature positive way. The government has committed to ensuring nature’s recovery, and developers will continue to be required to show how their application meets legal and regulatory requirements associated with environmental assessment, ensuring that the mitigation hierarchy is applied to any impacts arising from energy infrastructure. Our commitment to the environment is unwavering, including through meeting the Environment Act targets and halting biodiversity decline by 2030. The government welcomes the Committee’s comments in regard to enforcement of environmental enhancements and mitigations. While this is not an issue that can be addressed within the remit or timeframe of the current NPS review, the government will keep this under review. 37. National planning policy should require developers to identify specific sites, both suitable and available, for offsite landscape and environmental mitigations in their development consent applications. See response to Recommendation 38.
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