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Government plans new Nature Restoration Fund for simplified infrastructure environmental obligations.
Conclusion
In January 2025, the government announced that it will look to change how infrastructure projects meet their environmental obligations as part of its forthcoming Planning and Infrastructure Bill. It set out that this would include a Nature Restoration Fund which will pool contributions from developers to fund larger strategic interventions by, for example, Natural England. In many cases this should enable infrastructure builders to make a single payment to enable development to proceed. The government considers that this approach should be quicker and less burdensome than the current requirement of needing to secure mitigation or compensation for environmental harm before planning permission can be granted on an individual site or project basis.45 Ensuring the right skills and capability
Government Response
A response document is linked to this report, dated 16 May 2025. Response attribution to this conclusion has not been verified. Read the response document.
Source
Committee
Public Accounts Committee
Report
10th Report - HS2: Update following the Northern leg cancellation
28 Feb 2025
HC 357
Addressee Bodies
HM Treasury
Timeline
Recommendation age
1.5 yrs
Report published
28 Feb 2025