Major housing projects will be supervised by a single environmental supervisor – Mortgage Strategy

First-time home buyers and local communities will benefit from a single environmental agency that will improve new homes and capabilities in the planning system.

Labor said that having a single environmental regulator overseeing the project “will end the carousel of developers dealing with multiple overlapping authorities”.

The first plan to benefit from this approach is the Lower Thames, a 14.5-mile new road connecting Kent, Thurrock and Essex.

Natural England, the government’s nature consultant, will advise on joining the road project for the Lower Thames crossing, in partnership with the Environment Agency and Marine Management Organization.

It added that these environmental planning reforms would be supported by £500 million, including funding from the government’s flagship Natural Recovery and Marine Recovery Fund scheme.

The government also said the Defra Group Infrastructure Committee will help accelerate the planning process for at least 50 major infrastructure projects, including Hinkley Point C, East West Rail and Heathrow expansion.

Deputy Prime Minister and Housing Minister Angela Rayner (pictured) said: “We have been stuck in a status quo that has stopped building the required houses and are powerless to restore nature.

“Communities deserve better, which is why we are promoting not only the realization of vital housing and infrastructure, but also the real lasting recovery of the environment.”

Secretary of State for Environmental, Food and Rural Affairs Steve Reed added: “People can’t find affordable homes to live in because the cracks in the UK’s planning system has prevented construction projects, which has raised prices.

“These changes will make spades on the ground faster so developers can build the homes their families need.”