The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) has launched the following 2 new consultations:
Technical Consultation on the Infrastructure Levy
A technical consultation on the Infrastructure Levy, which is a reform to the existing system of developer contributions – Section 106 planning obligations and the Community Infrastructure Levy – in England. This consultation will inform the design of the Levy and of regulations that will set out its operation in detail. A further consultation on the drafting of those regulations will be published in due course. Alongside this publication is a report on an earlier design of the Levy, commissioned by DLUHC.
The consultation closes at 11:45pm on 9 June 2023 and more information can be found here.
Environmental Outcomes Reports: a new approach to environmental assessment
DLUHC is seeking views on their approach to developing Environmental Outcomes Reports to support departments in the next stage of policy development.
Part 6 of the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill will secure powers to implement a new system of environmental assessment known as Environmental Outcomes Reports. This will allow the Government to replace the EU-derived Strategic Environmental Assessment and Environmental Impact Assessment processes with a streamlined system that places greater focus on delivering environmental ambitions.
The introduction of the outcomes-based approach to the Environmental Outcomes Reports allows the Government to reflect its environmental priorities directly into plan-making and decision-making processes on the largest developments. The feedback from this consultation will help to establish the approach to developing these environmental outcomes across government.
DLUHC is required to review the two existing sets of environmental impact assessment regulations it is responsible for every five years to consider whether the regulations have met the intended objectives of the legislation and understand their effect on business. The regulations are:
- the Town and Country Planning (Environmental Impact Assessment) Regulations 2017; and
- the Infrastructure Planning (Environmental Impact Assessment) Regulations 2017.
The consultation closes at 11:45pm on 9 June 2023 and more information can be found here.
