The UK and Welsh Governments have launched a joint consultation on reforms to environmental permitting regulations.
The eight-week consultation covers reforms to environmental permitting in England and Wales, which aim to speed up the work of regulators and the industries they support.
Commenting on the consultation’s launch, Environment Minister Emma Hardy said the UK Government is committed to delivering streamlined regulation that protects the environment while also driving economic growth.
“As part of the Plan for Change, we are rewiring Defra and its arms-length bodies to boost economic growth and unleash an era of building, while also supporting stringent environmental safeguards,” Hardy said.
The consultation was recommended as part of a review by former Labour adviser Dan Corry found that the current environmental regulation system is “outdated, inconsistent, and highly complex”.
The independent review of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs’ (Defra) regulatory landscape recommended allowing regulators to issue fines for minor waste offences without going through the court system.
We are rewiring Defra and its arms-length bodies to boost economic growth and unleash an era of building…
The proposals cover a wide variety of activities undertaken by businesses or individuals operating within environmental regulations, such as those handling waste.
The changes being consulted on include closing exemptions Defra says rogue operators are abusing to clamp down on illegal activity.
Defra said the proposed reforms will allow the Environment Agency and Natural Resources Wales to make decisions proportionate to the level of environmental risk on which activities should be exempt from environmental permits.
Jo Nettleton, Chief Regulator at the Environment Agency, welcomed the proposed reforms, which he said will “empower” the regulator.
“The Environment Agency firmly believes protecting the environment and sustainable development go hand-in-hand and we support the government’s aim to get the economy growing,” Nettleton said.
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