Defra Infrastructure Board to oversee major project planning

The Government has actioned some of the recommendations of the Corry Review in launching a new ‘lead environmental regulator’ approach to major development, backed up by £500m of investment and a new oversight body.

Ministers said the reforms would help planning applications be processed faster while ensuring environmental protection, supporting both housebuilding and the 150 major infrastructure projects pledged by the end of this Parliament.

The Lower Thames Crossing will be the first scheme to be progressed under the lead environmental regulator approach, with Natural England coordinating regulatory inputs to “end the merry-go-round of developers dealing with multiple, overlapping authorities”.

Sitting at a higher level for Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects including the Heathrow expansion and Hinkley Point C will be the Defra Group Infrastructure Board (DGIB). While the Planning Inspectorate will continue to oversee the consenting process, the DGIB’s involvement is designed to identify challenges early and work to resolve them before they cause serious delays. 

The Government said the reforms would be backed by £500m, which includes funding for the Nature Restoration Fund (pooling contributions from developers to fund strategic interventions for nature) and the Marine Recovery Fund (industry-funded, strategic measures to compensate for adverse effects of offshore wind developments on protected marine areas).