Source · Select Committees · Environmental Audit Committee
Recommendation 14
14
Accepted in Part
Employ the full breadth of policy levers to improve the natural environment.
Recommendation
We acknowledge and welcome the Government’s amendments in June 2025 to Part 3 of the Planning and Infrastructure Bill. Akin to the OEP, we see the potential benefits of moving towards a more strategic approach to nature recovery. The amendments are a promising step towards ensuring that the proposed strategic approach of Environmental Delivery Plans and the Nature Restoration Fund do not result in the reduction of any environmental protections, risking irrevocable harm to our national ecosystems. Nevertheless, the new approach to meeting existing environmental requirements, introduced in Part 3 of the Planning and Infrastructure Bill, is not enough on its own to ensure that the Government can meet its environmental targets alongside its housing target. Beyond the Planning and Infrastructure Bill, the Government must actively employ the full breadth of policy levers at its disposal to improve the natural environment. (Conclusion, Paragraph 77)
Government response summary AI-generated
The government explains how the mitigation hierarchy will be applied through the Nature Restoration Fund (NRF) and how the Secretary of State will regulate the prioritisation of conservation measures within Environmental Delivery Plans (EDPs), demonstrating action on some policy levers.
Government Response
The government responded to this report on 13 March 2026. No passage in that response could be matched to this recommendation. Read the response document ↗