Lead Environmental Regulator
The role of Lead Environmental Regulator (LER) was announced in response to what has become known as the Corry Review, which was officially titled Delivering economic growth and nature recovery: an independent review of Defra's regulatory landscape, from 2 April, 2025. It was commissioned by the Defra Secretary of State, Steve Reed, to assess the effectiveness of the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) regulatory landscape and led by economist Dan Corry, producing 29 recommendations. One of the recommendations to appoint a lead regulator for major infrastructure projects where multiple regulators are involved, aiming to streamline the regulatory process for large-scale developments via a single body to oversee environmental aspects, potentially speeding up approvals and reducing costs.
The LER aims to be a single point of contact, whereby, instead of developers needing to consult multiple regulators separately (like Natural England, the Environment Agency, and the Marine Management Organisation), one designated body acts as the lead, coordinating advice on behalf of all. The purpose being to reduce duplication, speed up decision-making, and provide developers with clearer, more consistent guidance. The goal being quoted as creating a more “can-do” regulatory culture, cutting delays and costs for infrastructure projects but ensuring that environmental standards are upheld while enabling faster delivery of homes, energy projects, and transport links.
The press release "Environmental reforms to break planning system gridlock" of 19 August 2025 the Lead Environmental Regulator was described thus "a single, lead regulator for major infrastructure projects will end the merry-go-round of developers seeking planning approvals from multiple authorities who often disagree with each other - speeding up approvals and saving businesses millions in time and resource. This could include the recently approved Lower Thames Crossing, as well as future schemes like Heathrow expansion. Pilot projects trialling the approach will begin this year."
"The new Lead Environmental Regulator approach will end the merry-go-round of developers dealing with multiple, overlapping authorities. Instead, one environmental regulator will deliver a coordinated response on behalf of all regulators."
[edit] Related articles on Designing Buildings
- An independent review of Defra’s regulatory landscape.
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- Brownfield Passport.
- Consultation on proposed reforms to NPPF and other changes to the planning system.
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[edit] External links
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/environmental-reforms-to-break-planning-system-gridlock
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/environmental-reforms-to-break-planning-system-gridlock
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