Recommendation 183

Where parallel tracking is not available, the Mineral Products Association criticised the lack of certainty provided by the Environment Agency on whether a site will obtain the necessary permits. “Environmental permitting is far too slow and often lags behind the planning process, effectively delaying or constraining implementation with serious adverse consequences for business.” 238 VertaseFLI Limited and Hart Environmental highlighted that this significantly affects the remediation of brownfield land: sites which are appropriate for redevelopment are “orphaned” because of the delays in permitting. 239