Environmental harm to be handled centrally for major infrastructure projects

Major infrastructure developers will soon be able to pay into a central pot to mitigate any environmental harm they cause, rather than having to take direct action on site.

In a working paper, the Government has proposed a change to the current rules, which require big developers – such as of wind farms, roads, railways or reservoirs – to mitigate or compensate for harm to protected sites and species on a project-by-project basis, before being granted planning permission.

Instead, the Government said it will set up a central Nature Restoration Fund into which infrastructure developers will pay. A delivery body, such as Natural England, will then identify and take responsibility for securing positive environment outcomes, such as protected site and species recovery, at a strategic scale. A statement said: “These could be delivering a reduction in pollution affecting the water environment or securing nesting habitats to increase the population of a protected species, for example.” It added: “In many cases, a single payment will enable development to proceed.”

Environment secretary Steve Reed said: “As part of the Government’s Plan for Change, these reforms will unblock infrastructure projects while protecting the natural environment we all depend on. We can now look forward to 150 key infrastructure projects going ahead within the next few years while also providing more funding to protect and restore nature.”

The Government intends to legislate for the Fund later this year during the passage of the Planning and Infrastructure Bill.