Key UK Environmental Legislation

Established Natural England, creation of National Parks and AONBs, secured public access to open country

Provisions for the protection of native wild animals, inc birds and plants, designation of SSSIs, controls for non-native species, liscenses and exceptions for scientific purposes

Established Environment Agency, centralised regulations of air, water, and waste.

Regulation of trade based on the four CITES annexes

Provides the legal authority in the UK to enforce CITES

Grants public right of access on foot for recreation, local authorities to review Rights of Way, strengthened protection for certain wildlife + increased penalties for some offenses

Established the Marine Management Organisation, created strategic marine planning system, designating Marine Conservation Zones, created continuous signed coastal walking routes.

EU Exit Amendments. Includes the protection of European sites, SACs and SPAs, duty for public authorities to consider nature conservation when exercising functions. Planning permissions prior to developments

Legally binding targets for biodiversity, BNG, nature recovery network, Office for Environmental Protection created to monitor and report on government progress.

Hazardous waste is defined, producers must notify EA of their premises, ensures separation of waste types, requires cosignees to keep accurate records of hazardous waste and provide EA with quarterly disposal and recovery info.

Businesses placing packaging on the UK market were to take responsibility for the waste they were generating, certain businesses had to pay a fair proportion of packaging recovery and recycling costs

Streamlines the legislative system for industrial waste installations into a single permitting structure.

Requires businesses to implement waste hierarchy, introduced concept of waste dealer, waste collection authorities required to collect waste paper, metal, plastic, and glass separately.

Producers, distributors and users of EEE manage waste responsibly, promote resuse, take-back schemes.

Separate waste collections, extended producer responsibility, reposit return schemes.

Prohibits dark smoke emissions from chimneys - post London smog

Regulate emissions from industrial processes and domestic sources

Established National Air Quality Strategy, and Local Air Quality Management Regime, responsibilities placed on local authorities to monitor and asess areas

Implemented requirements of 2008/50/EC: on ambient air quality and cleaner air for Europe

EU Exit Amendments. Sets limits on pollutants which are based on health considerations. Local Authorities have legal obligation to take action to comply with limits

EU Exit Amendments

Goals including: Clean air, through reducing emissions, ending the sale of petrol and diesel vehicles by 2040, maintaining improvement in industrial emissions

Air quality and environmental recall, stricter amendments to previous legislation on local air quality, smoke control areas, and recall of certain motor vehicles.

Goal 2 - Clean Air

Framework for tackling climate change through legally binding targets, reducing net emissions, national carbon budgeting system, creation of independent advisory body: Committee on Climate Change/

Provides further powers and regulations for the energy sector, covers energy production, security, market regulation, carbon capture, hydrogen, and new tech

Revised roadmap for improving the UKs environment

Privatised the water and sewage industry in E&W (Maggie Thatch)

Covers water management, regulation, and conservation. System for licensing and regulating activities related to water abstraction. Defines controlled waters

Reformed water industry in E&W. Introduced new regulatory framework for newly privatised water supply and sewerage sector. Established Ofwat. Regulates trade effluent discharge.

Restructuring of environmental regulation and placed a duty on the companies to promote the efficient use of water by customers. It created a new body, the Environment Agency, which took over the functions of other bodies.

Introduced reforms in water industry to create increased competition and effieciency. Environmental regulation. Flood insurance.

EU Exit Amendments. Sets limits on pollutants which are based on health considerations. Local Authorities have legal obligation to take action to comply with limits

Post-Brexit framework for environmental protection

Roadmap for improving the UKs environment