Source · Select Committees · Environmental Audit Committee
Recommendation 1
1
Rejected
Imperative to publish considerations on planning reforms' compliance with environmental principles.
Recommendation
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)
Government Response Summary
The government rejects the recommendation to publish their considerations on how the NPPF and PIB comply with the EPPS, stating that such considerations are not routinely published to protect the ministerial decision-making process.
Government Response
Rejected
HM Government
Rejected
5. Environmental considerations are at the heart of all policymaking to support our vision of a planning system that delivers for both nature and people. To protect the ministerial decision-making process, considerations relating to the environmental principles policy statement are not routinely published. However, ministers are regularly briefed on their duty to have due regard to the policy statement set out in the Environment Act 2021. This has been the case during the development of both the Planning and Infrastructure Act (PIA) and the proposed changes to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) as set out in our consultation published on 16 December 2025.