Issued by: Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs

Britain’s industrial and energy sectors are set to benefit from a new, modernised environmental permitting regime – with greater flexibility, faster timelines and less red tape poised to boost innovation and drive economic growth.

As set out in the landmark Corry Review, current environmental regulation can be risk-averse, inefficient, and difficult to navigate, holding back innovation and growth.

An eight-week consultation looks to reform permitting in the industrial and energy sectors and deliver a simplified framework that is fit for the future – helping British industry to embrace tomorrow’s technologies more quickly, increasing competitiveness and creating economic growth.

The plans could see a more common-sense process for approving time-limited trials for cutting-edge new technologies, such as the use of hydrogen as fuel at industrial sites, to help accelerate the process of bringing them to market.

As set out in the consultation, the Environment Agency could also introduce a new registration approach for low-risk installations, such as data centres and back-up generators. This will slash permit waiting times – potentially from months to days – and lower business costs.

Learning from international best practice from other countries, including the United States, new flexible permits could be issued. This would set an overall cap on emissions at individual installations, rather than for separate processes at a facility, stripping away layers of bureaucracy and reducing duplication of red tape, while also cutting emissions.

Air Quality Minister Emma Hardy said: “Britain is the birthplace of the industrial revolution and supporting science and innovation is a central pillar of our mission to drive economic growth.

“Through the Plan for Change, our once-in-a-generation reforms will streamline regulation for vital industrial sectors that protects the environment while enabling growth and innovation.”

Through the government’s Plan for Change, the reforms will provide regulation that support industry meet the challenges of the next decade and beyond.

Modernising, simplifying and accelerating the permitting framework will deliver clean power, improve air quality, and clean up the country’s polluted rivers, lakes and seas.

Philip Duffy, chief executive at the Environment Agency, said: “Modernised regulation can help deliver growth, innovation and protect the environment and communities.

“Today’s consultation marks a positive step forward in efforts to make our regulatory regime fit for the future, with proportionate but robust rules that enable the UK to compete globally whilst supporting nature’s recovery.

“The Environment Agency will match this ambition with improvements in how we deliver the regime, with better IT, faster turnaround times and a commitment to support sustainable growth across the economy.”

Environmental permitting underpins the industrial and energy sectors through a world-leading approach to pollution control that protects communities and the environment.

Industrial emissions have fallen significantly in the last 30 years, delivering more than £52 billion in benefits to human health, ecosystems and labour productivity.

However, the framework can and should work better in delivering the Government’s Plan for Change, net zero ambitions, and environmental and health improvements.

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