Source · Select Committees · Environmental Audit Committee
6th Report - Environmental sustainability and housing growth
Environmental Audit Committee
HC 439
Published 16 November 2025
Recommendations
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 …
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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.
36
Rejected
Mandate prescriptive standards for green and blue infrastructure in all new and refurbished developments.
Recommendation
The Government should be more prescriptive on the standards of green and blue infrastructure in new developments. The Government should mandate initiatives like Natural England’s Green Infrastructure Framework in new and refurbished developments to seek to ensure high standards of …
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Government Response Summary
The government rejects developing mandatory training or reviewing planning qualifications related to ecology and decarbonisation, stating it has no plans for such measures and that local planning authorities make their own training decisions, though it supports a wider planning capacity programme. It does not address being more prescriptive on green/blue infrastructure standards or mandating the GI Framework.
42
Rejected
Commission a review into Council Tax and Stamp Duty Land Tax for lower embodied carbon homes.
Recommendation
We recommend that the Government commission a review into Council Tax, Stamp Duty Land Tax and any other tax policies to consider the merit of offering lower bands of taxation for homes with lower levels of embodied carbon. (Recommendation, Paragraph …
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Government Response Summary
The government does not plan to review council tax on the basis of embodied carbon because of potential complexity, revenue impact and the fact that council tax is paid by occupiers, not owners or developers.
44
Rejected
Mandate major developers submit whole life carbon assessments for all planning applications.
Recommendation
Major developers should submit whole life carbon assessments as part of planning applications to local authorities; this should be mandatory for all major developments, as defined in the NPPF. The Government should consult on ways to financially incentivise housing development …
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Government Response Summary
The government does not agree with mandating whole life carbon assessments at this time, but commits to updating Planning Practice Guidance to assist local authorities and support developers in reducing carbon emissions.
61
Rejected
Require mandatory training in ecology and carbon literacy within planning qualifications and accreditation
Recommendation
Planning qualifications and accreditation should include mandatory training in ecology and carbon literacy, to ensure that planning professionals have adequate knowledge of nature and climate issues to address these challenges in the built environment. We recommend that the Government, via …
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Government Response Summary
The government has no plans to develop mandatory training in ecology and the decarbonisation of buildings, or review current planning qualifications. They state local planning authorities decide on resource allocation for training.