The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has appointed economist Dan Corry, a former adviser to Gordon Brown, to lead an internal review into regulation and regulators.

The review will examine the extent to which the regulatory landscape is experiencing economic growth and what could be changed without jeopardizing the natural environment.

“This review should have been carried out a long time ago,” responded Richard Beresford, director general of the National Federation of Builders (ONF).

Beresford said: “The previous government had a very siled view of environmental regulation and despite regular engagement, particularly with committees, the views of the construction sector were largely ignored. This has not only created a more difficult landscape for development, but has also led to worse environmental outcomes. »

Rico Wojtulewicz, Head of Policy and Market Insights at the NFB, added: “If the previous government had listened to the residential construction industry, nutrient neutrality would have resulted in cleaner, more sustainable water. the net gain in biodiversity would have been more focused on biodiversity than on biodiversity. vast habitats. Growth and the environment have been treated as zero sum, when they are not at all.”

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