Environmental Principles Policy Statement EPPS
The Environmental Audit Committee. Environmental sustainability and housing growth: Sixth Report of Session 2024–26 HC 439 describes the five principles set out in the Environment Act 2021 and effective in law since November 2023. These are:
- "Integration: The principle that environmental protection should be integrated into the policy making.
- Prevention: Government policy should aim to prevent environmental harm.
- Rectification at Source: Environmental damage should be addressed at its source, thereby avoiding the need to remedy the impacts later.
- Polluter Pays: Where possible, the cost of pollution should be borne by those causing it, rather than those who are impacted by the effects of environmental damage.
- Precautionary Principle: Where there are threats of serious or irreversible environmental damage, a lack of full scientific certainty will not be used as a reason to postpone cost-effective measures to prevent environmental degradation."
[edit] Related articles on Designing Buildings
- Areas of outstanding natural beauty.
- Biodiversity mitigation hierarchy.
- Biodiversity Net Gain BNG
- Biodiversity net gain (BNG) regulations and implementation; Government response.
- Biodiversity Net Gain: statutory must-haves, plus the delivery model that de-risks planning.
- Biodiversity net gain, tools, tips and terms for small sites.
- Biodiversity net gain and terminology explained.
- Built environment.
- Carbon.
- Competence.
- Conservation area.
- Designated sites.
- Environmental Development Plans EDP.
- Forests.
- Green belt.
- Guidance on tree specification, BNG and more.
- How nature can be used to improve wellbeing.
- Local Nature Reserve.
- Local Nature Recovery Strategy LNRS.
- Mitigation hierarchy.
- National nature reserve.
- National Parks.
- National Planning Practice Guidance.
- Natural England.
- Nature Restoration Fund NRF.
- Nature Recovery Network NRN.
- NPPF consultation briefing notes on terms.
- NPPF inquiry.
- NPPF.
- Nutrient Neutrality NN.
- NPPF.
- Outline planning permission.
- Planning and Infrastructure Bill PIB
- Planning legislation.
- Planning permission.
- Protected species.
- Resilience.
- Sustainability.
- Site of Nature Conservation Interest (SNCI).
- Sites of special scientific interest.
- What is the biodiversity metric?
- Wildlife corridor.
- Wildlife Trusts.
Featured articles and news
Costs and insolvencies mount for SMEs, despite growth
Construction sector under insolvency and wage bill pressure in part linked to National Insurance, says report.
The place for vitrified clay pipes in modern infrastructure
Why vitrified clay pipes are reclaiming their role in built projects.
Research by construction PR consultancy LMC published.
Roles and responsibilities of domestic clients
ACA Safety in Construction guide for domestic clients.
Fire door compliance in UK commercial buildings
Architect and manufacturer gives their low down.
Plumbing and heating for sustainability in new properties
Technical Engineer runs through changes in regulations, innovations in materials, and product systems.
Awareness of the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism
What CBAM is and what to do about it.
The new towns and strategic environmental assessments
12 locations of the New Towns Taskforce reduced to 7 within the new towns draft programme and open consultation.
Buildings that changed the future of architecture. Book review.
The Sustainability Pathfinder© Handbook
Built environment agency launches free Pathfinder© tool to help businesses progress sustainability strategies.
Government outcome to the late payment consultation, ECA reacts.
IHBC 2025 Gus Astley Student Award winners
Work on the role of hewing in UK historic conservation a win for Jack Parker of Oxford Brookes University.
Future Homes Building Standards and plug-in solar
Parts F and L amendments, the availability of solar panels and industry responses.
How later living housing can help solve the housing crisis
Unlocking homes, unlocking lives.
Preparing safety case reports for HRBs under the BSA
A new practical guide to preparing structural inputs for safety cases and safety case reports published by IStructE.
Male construction workers and prostate cancer
CIOB and Prostate Cancer UK encourage awareness of prostate cancer risks, and what to do about it.





















