Delivering the major projects needed to meet the UK's net zero commitments, strengthen energy security and support economic growth requires environmental regulation to be delivered effectively. Developers of nationally significant infrastructure often navigate complex environmental requirements involving multiple regulators. These protections are critical, but the process of engaging with them has not always been as coordinated as it could be.
In April 2025, Dan Corry's independent review of Defra's regulatory landscape identified this fragmentation as a barrier to both sustainable growth and nature recovery. Among its recommendations was the creation of a Lead Environmental Regulator (LER) – a single coordinating body providing developers with clearer, earlier, and more consistent environmental guidance, while maintaining robust environmental protections. The government accepted that recommendation, and the Environment Agency has played a central role in developing and delivering the pilot programme that followed.
The LER programme is currently being tested across a small number of projects to learn what works, identify where improvements are needed and inform any longer-term implementation. This blog sets out what the Lead Environmental Regulator approach involves, introduces each EA-led pilot currently underway, and shares early reflections on what we are learning.
What the Lead Environmental Regulator does
Under the LER model, a single regulator is appointed as the primary point of contact for a developer throughout the planning, permitting and licensing process. That regulator coordinates input from regulatory partners so that advice is aligned and provided as early as possible. The aim is to reduce duplication, avoid unnecessary delays, and give developers greater clarity about environmental requirements.
Pilots will focus on specific stages or activities within a project rather than its full regulatory lifecycle. The LER is designed to improve coordination and early issue resolution within those defined stages - it does not influence decision-making outside the pilot's scope. These clear boundaries help ensure realistic expectations and a fair evaluation of the pilot's impact.
Importantly, this model is a reform to how regulation is coordinated, not what is required. All statutory duties, Environmental Impact Assessments, permitting standards, and mitigation obligations apply in full. By taking a holistic view of environmental risks and opportunities, the LER approach is intended to enhance the delivery of environmental protections and speed up the process.
Where technical disagreements between regulators cannot be resolved through day-to-day collaboration, the LER framework includes a clear escalation route to Defra's Infrastructure Board, a body established following the recommendations of the Corry Review, to address environmental challenges early in a project's lifecycle before they become blockers. The Board does not take regulatory decisions but provides structured problem-solving support and government scrutiny.
Each pilot includes three formal evaluation points: at commencement, around four to six months, and at ten to eleven months. Together, these will assess regulator and developer views on whether the LER approach leads to earlier issue identification, clearer advice to developers, and less duplication across regulators.
The LER programme is also part of Defra's Plan for Change commitment to fast-track 150 major infrastructure decisions this Parliament. The Environment Agency leads three of the five current pilots. Learn more about them below:
Pilot spotlight: East West Rail
East West Rail is a major new railway linking Oxford, Milton Keynes, Bedford, and Cambridge, designed to improve connectivity across the Oxford–Cambridge growth corridor and reduce road congestion in one of the UK's fastest-growing regions. It is expected to unlock £6.7 billion in economic growth, enable up to 100,000 new homes, and connect 3.5 million people across the Oxford–Cambridge corridor.
Live since 1 January 2026, the East West Rail LER pilot was the first to be led by the Environment Agency. The project is now entering a phase of active environmental regulatory engagement, and its complexity makes it a strong test case for the LER model. Environmental considerations include multiple river crossings, flood risk management, water quality, ancient woodland and habitat connectivity. The Environment Agency coordinates closely with Natural England and the Forestry Commission to provide aligned advice to the developer.
As the third pilot to go live, the East West Rail LER scheme is building upon early feedback from the other pilots to ensure close, joined-up working between regulators.
Pilot spotlight: Lighthouse Green Fuels
Lighthouse Green Fuels (LGF) was announced as an LER pilot on 9 April 2026. It is a proposed second-generation Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) facility at Seal Sands, Billingham, on Teesside. When developed, it will be one of the largest SAF facilities in Europe, converting around 1.5 million tonnes of biogenic waste and residues into over 180 million litres of sustainable aviation fuel and approximately 30 million litres of green naphtha (feedstock for producing jet fuel) each year, supporting the UK's Jet Zero Strategy and wider decarbonisation goals.
LGF is well-suited to an LER pilot due to its scale, technical complexity and significant marine infrastructure works including a new quay, dredging, and piling – requiring close coordination between regulators. The Environment Agency will lead collaboration across Natural England, the Marine Management Organisation and the Planning Inspectorate to deliver clearer, more efficient regulation while maintaining robust environmental standards, including environmental impact assessments, emissions and noise modelling, contaminated land assessment, flood-risk mitigation and marine ecology safeguards.
The pilot runs from April to September 2026, with evaluation at the start, midway point and towards the end. Findings will contribute to the wider LER programme evaluation due in early 2027.
Pilot spotlight: Sizewell C
Nuclear new build projects are inherently complex and typically take many years, reflecting the need to rigorously manage environmental and safety risks.
The Environment Agency is the independent environmental regulator for the nuclear industry in England. We regulate the potential impacts of nuclear sites, such as Sizewell C, on people and the environment by issuing environmental permits. Our regulation and permitting covers activities required for site investigation and preparation, construction, operation and decommissioning of the power station.
Key environmental considerations include water resources, waste reuse, discharge permits, ecological impacts, marine risks, coastal erosion, air quality and long‑term radioactive waste management.
The Environment Agency has been engaged with the Sizewell C project since 2010. The LER pilot formalises and strengthens the working relationship already established with Natural England and the Marine Management Organisation, enabling more coordinated environmental advice as the power station is constructed.
Lower Thames Crossing and Falmouth Docks
Two further pilots are underway, led by other regulators. Lower Thames Crossing was the first major infrastructure project selected to pilot the LER approach under Natural England in July 2025. The project is a new road connecting Kent and Essex through two 2.6 mile tunnels beneath the River Thames. Read more about the project’s LER pilot here.
Falmouth Docks, involving the redevelopment of deep-water dock infrastructure in Cornwall, was the second pilot announced and is led by the Marine Management Organisation. Further projects may be added to other regulators’ pilot programme as suitable candidates are identified and agreed.
Together, the current five pilots span energy, transport, ports, and industrial decarbonisation, demonstrating the breadth of nationally significant projects where improved regulatory coordination can add value.
What comes next
We will share progress at key milestones across all EA-led pilots, report on evaluation findings as they become available and reflect on the learnings. Additional projects may be added to the pilot programme and these will be announced as they are identified and established.
Early learnings – a view from the Chief Regulator Jo Nettleton
As Chief Regulator, I have been encouraged by what the early stages of the LER programme are showing. Our role as an environmental regulator is pivotal to ensuring that sustainable growth and energy security is delivered in a way that protects and enhances the environment. We need to be risk based, proportionate, effective and efficient, and although the LER pilots are still at a formative moment, the overall direction of travel is positive.
At East West Rail, work since January 2026 has focused on establishing new ways of working and embedding the single point of contact model. Both developers and regulatory teams now have a clear understanding of LER’s purpose, particularly as a single point for risk discussion and issue escalation.
Feedback from the Lower Thames Crossing pilot indicates that closer collaboration between regulators is enabling earlier sharing of emerging issues and better alignment of regulatory positions - helping to surface challenges sooner and reduce the risk of late-stage surprises.
Our newest pilots, Lighthouse Green Fuels and Sizewell C, will follow the same structured evaluation approach. Findings from these pilots will also feed into a wider programme evaluation in early 2027, and this will be a moment for us to be transparent about what is working and where we need to improve.
I am looking forward to seeing what the formal evaluation points later this year reveal about how we can support sustainable growth while protecting the environment we all care about.
For ongoing updates on LER pilots, follow the Chief Regulator’s LinkedIn page.
seen at 10:49, 12 May in Creating a better place.