Environmental law trackers and horizon scanning

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This subtopic brings together a series of trackers to enable you to keep up to date with key developments in relation to consultations, legislation and case law of interest to environmental lawyers in England and Wales. We also include EU environmental law trackers, an EU/UK environmental law divergence tracker, Environmental enforcement undertakings trackers which list key recent environmental enforcement undertakings accepted by environmental regulators under the Regulatory Enforcement and Sanctions Act 2008, the Environmental Civil Sanctions (England) Order 2010 and the Environmental Civil Sanctions (Wales) Order 2010 and a Horizon scanning Practice Note which tracks forward looking developments, such as draft legislation, expected court decisions/appeals, forthcoming consultations, closing dates and government responses.

Consultation and legislation trackers by topic

The following trackers display the current status and most recent developments of consultations being conducted by government departments (such as Defra), regulators (such as the Environment Agency (EA) and Natural Resources Wales (NRW)) and other bodies (such as the Welsh Government) and legislation of interest in relation to environmental law in England and Wales. They are arranged by topic and list consultations open from 1 January 2026 or opened

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Latest Environment News

Defra unveils first PFAS Plan with statutory limit consultation for England's water supply

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has unveiled the UK's first per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) Plan, establishing a framework for coordinated action by governments, businesses and regulators to address risks associated with 'forever chemicals'.

Ofwat consults on updates to performance related executive pay prohibition rule for water only companies

Ofwat has launched a consultation under section 35C of the Water Industry Act 1991 proposing updates to the performance related executive pay (PRP) prohibition rule for water only companies (WOCs). The proposed changes would require WOCs to prohibit PRP where they have experienced one or more category 1 incidents affecting water, as reported by the Environment Agency, in the calendar year preceding the end of the PRP payment year. This would align WOCs with the existing requirements for water and sewerage companies in relation to category 1 pollution incidents. The consultation closes on 27 February 2026, with the proposed changes intended to apply to PRP payments relating to the 2026–27 financial year. Ofwat has confirmed that no other changes to the PRP rule are proposed as part of this consultation, and that a comprehensive review of the entire PRP rule is scheduled to commence in 2027.

DBT publishes response to sustainability reporting assurance consultation

The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) has published its response to the consultation on developing an oversight regime for assurance of sustainability-related financial disclosures. The government has accepted the proposal to create a voluntary oversight regime and register for entities offering third-party assurance services for sustainability-related disclosures, to be operated under the Companies Act. The Financial Reporting Council (FRC) will be responsible for implementation and has been tasked with establishing an interim regime and register by mid-2026. The government will legislate to formalise arrangements when Parliamentary time allows. The consultation received 99 responses, with over 80% of respondents supporting the core proposition of a voluntary regime. The regime aims to drive trust in the UK sustainability assurance market and support companies in identifying appropriately qualified sustainability assurance providers. The consultation ran from 25 June 2025 to 17 September 2025.

EA publishes consultation outcome on proposed standard rules permits for small sewage discharges

The Environment Agency (EA) has published consultation responses for its Standard Rules Consultation 32, which concluded on 12 November 2025. The consultation addressed three proposed standard rules permits for small sewage discharge activities that are currently regulated by bespoke permits.

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