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Signe Norberg, director of policy and public affairs at ISEP, has joined the UK government’s Development Industry Partnership, led by Defra.
At its first meeting, industry representatives gathered to launch the partnership, which aims to strengthen Defra’s understanding of how developers experience environmental regulation.
Norberg stressed the need to accelerate nature restoration alongside economic growth and new housing and infrastructure delivery, emphasising that major reforms must be supported by clear guidance, greater capacity and stronger skills provision.
In April, ISEP brought together policymakers, regulators and industry leaders to explore how environmental outcomes can be measured and delivered more effectively.
A key highlight was a roundtable with Natalie Prosser, chief executive of the Office for Environmental Protection, which focused on Environmental Improvement Plan targets, accountability and data quality. Discussions highlighted the need for credible monitoring, transparent reporting and professional expertise to turn long-term environmental ambitions into practical action. Find out more at bit.ly/MEO-tra
This latest volume explores how sector-specific approaches are reshaping impact assessment practice. Challenging the idea of a single, standardised model, the collection highlights the growing need for flexibility and proportionality in response to increasingly complex environmental, technological and regulatory pressures.
Contributors demonstrate how tailored approaches can better align environmental considerations with project delivery, from managing the long-term uncertainties of nuclear decommissioning to embedding assessment within governance frameworks.
The volume also examines the impacts of fragmentation, particularly at the land–sea interface and in emerging sectors such as data centres. Looking ahead to new regulatory frameworks, the collection calls for greater clarity, stronger capability and continued cross-sector learning.
Read more at bit.ly/IAVol27
Published in March 2026, England’s Land Use Framework is the first national, long-term approach to managing the ways in which land can improve resilience to climate change, accelerate housing and infrastructure delivery, restore nature at scale and maintain food production and farm profitability.
It establishes guiding principles for decision-making, including delivering multiple benefits from land, reflecting local context, using evidence-based long-term approaches, and remaining adaptable to change.
Importantly, the framework commits government to publish improved land-use data, with accessible, linked datasets to support more informed and joined-up decision-making.
However, links to other departments remain unclear, as does the relationship with the National Planning Policy Framework. On 27 May, ISEP will host Defra representatives to explore what the Land Use Framework is and what it means for sustainability professionals.
ISEP chief executive Sarah Mukherjee MBE gave oral evidence at the All-Party Parliamentary Group for the Environment’s first adaptation inquiry session on 13 April. Addressing flooding and weather risks, she highlighted gaps between climate risk assessments, planning policy and delivery. Mukherjee stressed the need to treat nature as national infrastructure, embed adaptation in housing, infrastructure and land-use decisions, and strengthen skills and standards. She also emphasised long‑term investment, clearer accountability and joined‑up governance to turn adaptation policy into resilience.
In March, ISEP responded to the government’s National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) consultation, emphasising that robust environmental assessment and evidence-based planning are crucial to effective decision-making. Planning must balance growth and infrastructure delivery with protecting and enhancing the environment. Environmental safeguards, and clear planning conditions, implementation and monitoring, are essential for sustainable outcomes. Climate mitigation and adaptation must be central to policy. ISEP supports reforms that improve efficiency and clarity without weakening expert assessment and accountable decision-making.
Read the full response at bit.ly/NPPF-ISEPres
England’s transition to Environmental Outcomes Reports (EORs) will change how the planning system assesses environmental effects. Responding to the government’s roadmap, ISEP set out a clear and timely position: reform must strengthen, not weaken, environmental protection and enhancement. Public participation and transparency must be maintained and enhanced, ensuring that communities play a meaningful role. Equally important is the need to address planning system capacity and skills gaps. Without adequate investment in expertise, guidance and well-resourced regulators, the new system risks inconsistency, delay and reduced environmental oversight. EORs could deliver a more effective system, but only if they safeguard and enhance the environmental protections at their core.
The Circular Economy Steering Group has published new industry guidance on Material Pathway Auditing (MPA) in the Built Environment, designed to help the construction sector make better use of existing materials during repurposing, retrofitting, deconstruction and demolition projects.
Crucially, it integrates audit findings into concept design, procurement and contractor engagement, ensuring that circular economy principles actively shape decision-making early.
The guidance provides a step-by-step framework that is scalable to any project type. It includes a practical decision tree to determine an audit’s appropriate scope, guidance on preparing materials inventories and opportunities registers, and recommendations for embedding MPA requirements into contracts and site practices.
The UK’s Circular Economy Growth Plan expected this year, and ISEP recommends that the MPA approach is incorporated into the construction sector route map. By applying systems-based thinking to the materials already present on sites, the government can build a resilient, sustainable construction sector.
Read the guidance at bit.ly/MPABE-tra
