This is CIEEM’s response to the Planning and Infrastructure Bill 2025, published in March 2025.

As we have previously highlighted, the core principle behind the Bill – identifying environmental challenges early and addressing them proactively through state-led intervention – could, in theory, be a positive step towards the government’s twin goals of streamlined delivery of critical development and better outcomes for nature.

However, the execution of this concept is critically flawed. As currently drafted, the Bill threatens to cause unnecessary and irreparable ecological harm while simultaneously imposing additional costs, uncertainty and delays on developers due to the uncertainty around the nature and scope of the proposed Environmental Delivery Plans (EDPs).

The proposed Bill, whilst containing some important principles which would be of benefit to both the economy and the environment, is currently significantly flawed and needs an urgent rethink. In our view, the Bill is a regression on current levels of environmental protections.

CIEEM would welcome the opportunity to work with the Government and other stakeholders to improve the Bill such that it can deliver the multiple benefits it is being designed for.

The response has been collated by the CIEEM policy team with significant contributions from volunteers on the Strategic Policy Panel, England Policy Group, and other expert members.