New development can have repercussions for the environment through its potential to pollute, and opportunities for new development can be constrained by existing pollution. As good planning is about delivering the right development in the right place, land-use planning has a significant influence in defining the quality of natural and built environments. Environmental permitting and compliance systems complement land-use planning through controlling the operation of those industries and processes which have the potential to damage the quality of land, air or water, or human health.

The Government welcomes development that supports the nation’s economic and social progress and in doing so attaches great importance to controlling and minimising the potential for pollution and its impact. It looks:

to the planning system to guide to appropriate locations development that may give rise to pollution, either directly or indirectly, and to ensure that other uses and developments are not, as far as possible, affected by major existing or potential sources of pollution; and,

to environmental permitting and compliance systems to protect the environment and human health, in line with obligations under European law

Planning and the environmental permitting regimes are therefore expected to complement rather than duplicate each other. However, it is clear that in practice this is not always achieved. There can be overlapping interests and requirements, and lack of clarity about where responsibilities lie. This regulatory complexity can increase the burden on industry, and the regulators themselves, and add unnecessarily to the costs of new development putting at risk, for example, the new waste infrastructure needed to move away from landfill and frustrating the redevelopment of brownfield land. At the same time, it can reduce community confidence in the regulatory framework and frustrate those wanting to contribute to decisions about new development.