UK Conservatives plan to abolish Environment Agency and Natural England
The Conservatives are set to announce plans to abolish the Environment Agency and Natural England as part of a proposed deregulation programme focused on growth and housebuilding. The party also wants to replace several affordable-housing and community-infrastructure requirements with a single developer levy.
The UK Conservatives are set to announce plans to abolish the Environment Agency and Natural England as part of a broad programme to reduce regulation and refocus the party’s economic message. Shadow chancellor Andrew Griffith is expected to say that the Conservatives would replace rules requiring developers to provide affordable homes and community facilities with a single levy. The party says the changes would speed up infrastructure and housebuilding.
The proposals include replacing Section 106 agreements and the community infrastructure levy, which currently require developers to contribute to affordable housing and local services such as schools and GP surgeries. The Conservatives also want to remove net-zero housebuilding requirements, including the Future Homes Standard. The party claims the measures could reduce the price of a new home by £50,000, although the supplied material gives no independent assessment of that figure.
Necessary functions of Natural England and the Environment Agency would be transferred directly to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. The Conservatives also plan to continue supporting expansion of Heathrow airport and leave the Aarhus Convention, which makes it easier for community groups to challenge developments. Griffith is expected to argue that a third runway should be built more quickly.
The announcements will be made at the Conservative party conference as the party attempts to strengthen its economic position. Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has published a policy document called The Right Way and said it would guide policy development ahead of the next election. The Conservatives remain behind Labour and Reform UK in the polls, according to the source material.
Shadow housing secretary Katie Lam is expected to say that removing the regulations and enforcement bodies would prevent what she called anti-growth groups from blocking development. The proposals represent pledges rather than enacted policy. The supplied material does not include responses from the Environment Agency, Natural England or environmental organisations.
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