While the debate has centred around housing and transport, the implications for marine and offshore infrastructure deserve just as much attention.
The UK Government’s new pro-growth package and the accompanying amendments to the Planning and Infrastructure Bill are framed around a single ambition, to get Britain building. But as the debate centres on housing and transport, the implications for marine and offshore infrastructure deserve just as much attention.
Under the new measures released on the 13th October, ministers would gain stronger powers to direct or accelerate decisions on major projects in our marine and coastal environment, while Environmental Delivery Plans (EDPs) and Nature Restoration Plans (NRPs) would play a bigger role in managing environmental outcomes offshore. Developers could, in time, contribute to area-based nature restoration funds rather than negotiate site-specific mitigation for each project.
For the marine sector, this could reshape how offshore wind, grid connections, carbon storage and port expansion are planned and consented. If implemented well, these changes could help align investment and environmental recovery, supporting more strategic, seascape-scale approaches that build on the principles of marine spatial planning and net gain.
But the success of this approach will depend on how EDPs are designed and governed. They must maintain ecological precision and accountability, ensuring that restoration funding genuinely delivers marine benefits rather than being absorbed into generic schemes. Equally, any acceleration in decision-making must be matched by the capacity and expertise within public bodies to assess, monitor and enforce effectively.
The UK has world-leading environmental regulation and a robust consenting system that underpins investor confidence. Reform should build on that strength, not dilute it. If these amendments can deliver a more strategic and better-resourced framework, one that accelerates sustainable infrastructure while restoring nature at scale, then they could mark a positive evolution in how we manage growth at sea.
For marine researchers, these proposed planning reforms could fundamentally change how evidence is used in decision-making at sea. The introduction of Environmental Delivery Plans and area-based restoration funding will create new demand for robust, spatially-explicit marine data, monitoring, ecosystem models, and evaluation methods. This is an opportunity for the research community to help shape how environmental outcomes are measured, valued, and governed across the UK’s marine space, ensuring that accelerated growth is matched by credible, science-led recovery.