Jurisdiction(s):
United Kingdom

England and Wales 2026 contamination, pollution and environmental permitting—legislation and consultations tracker (from 1 January 2026)

Published by a LexisNexis Environment expert

Practice notes

This tracker tool tracks and summarises key new legislation and consultations in England and Wales linked to contamination, pollution and environmental permitting.

In England and Wales, the following regimes govern contamination, pollution and environmental permitting:

Contaminated land regime under Part IIA of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 (EPA 1990): addresses land contamination that is causing, or where there is a significant possibility of causing, significant harm to human health (including property), living organisms, interference with ecological systems, or impacts on controlled waters.
The Environmental Damage (Prevention and Remediation) (England) Regulations 2015, SI 2015/810, and the Environmental Damage (Prevention and Remediation) (Wales) Regulations 2009, SI 2009/995 (EDR): apply to environmental damage, defined as damage to:
- a protected species or natural habitat that has a significant adverse effect on achieving or maintaining the favourable conservation status of that species or habitat
- a site of special scientific interest (SSSI) where the integrity of the site is adversely affected
- surface water or groundwater resulting in a deterioration in the status of the water body
- land that results in a significant risk of adverse effects on human

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Web page updated on 22/05/2026

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