United Kingdom: Environment

Voluntary nature markets are emerging as businesses seek to manage environmental risks and create long-term value beyond mandatory requirements.

The Planning Inspectorate's latest statistics reveal mixed progress on nationally significant infrastructure projects, with examination times improving but pre-application periods lengthening. A landmark High Court judgment clarifies how NPPF highway impact thresholds should be applied in planning decisions, while early interpretations of the revised NPPF demonstrate how exceptional circumstances tests are being used to approve countryside development despite character concerns.

A smart building can reduce costs, improve workplace performance and provide valuable environmental data. Occupiers should nevertheless look beyond the technology specification and establish what they can access, what they must pay and what happens when a critical system fails.

Voluntary nature markets are emerging as businesses seek to manage environmental risks and create long-term value beyond mandatory requirements.

The UK's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) is rapidly approaching its January 2027 implementation date, with secondary legislation now establishing the operational framework for importers. As businesses face potential higher liabilities for using default emission values rather than verified data, understanding the registration requirements, supplier data obligations, and compliance timelines becomes critical for organizations importing goods from affected sectors.

Economic policy in Europe has generally been shaped by the principles of open markets and globalisation, but this is beginning to change. Concerns over energy security, industrial competitiveness and reliance on third countries have pushed industrial policy firmly back onto the European agenda.

Periods of prolonged heat and dry weather are becoming an increasingly significant challenge for the agricultural sector. While the operational impacts are often immediate, the legal and regulatory risks can be just as important.

The ASA upheld the two complaints, one of which came from a chimney sweep, finding that the Council had failed to substantiate the direct causal link between the use of wood burners and open fires...

White Papers, consultations, reports, updates – all pointing towards increased accountability, along with guidance on the implementation of sanctions and their enforcement when environment...

The Environment Agency has launched a consultation on significant reforms to its Enforcement and Sanctions Policy, introducing new civil penalty frameworks and automatic financial penalties for water companies under the Water (Special Measures) Act 2025. The proposed changes expand enforcement mechanisms across multiple sectors including waste management, packaging regimes, and mercury controls, while establishing a fundamentally different regulatory approach for water sector operators that allows penalties

This comprehensive environmental law update examines significant regulatory changes across biodiversity net gain, waste tracking, carbon border adjustments, PFAS chemicals, water company enforcement, and infrastructure planning reforms. The analysis explores how new regulations will reshape environmental compliance obligations for businesses, landowners, and developers while examining the balance between regulatory protection and operational flexibility.

Site remediation sits at the intersection of environmental law, corporate strategy, and land value. From heavy industry and manufacturing through to energy, retail, and logistics, legacy contamination and the obligations that come with it are important to recognise and understand. Multiple legal, commercial, and policy pressures are converging, and the businesses best placed to benefit are those that treat remediation as a strategic asset rather than a compliance cost.