Recommendation 1

The Government has assured us that section 19 of the Environment Act 2021, which requires Ministers to give full consideration to the Environmental Principles Policy Statement (EPPS) when making policy, was complied with during the drafting of the latest revision of the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) and creation of the Planning and Infrastructure Bill (PIB). Due to the strong public interest in the Government’s planning reforms, it is our view that it is imperative that they publish their considerations as to how the NPPF and PIB comply with the Government’s own Environmental Principles Policy Statement (EPPS). (Conclusion, Paragraph 22)