November 2024 saw the publication of the 2024 5th edition of Halsbury’s Laws of England, Water & Waterways, vols 100 and 101, for which I was Consultant Editor, along with the expert Editor Siobhan McKeering. This made for a busy summer.

I am delighted to have started on 1 July 2024 a 6 month contract working at the Office for Environmental Protection (‘OEP’) – www.theoep.org.uk

The European Court of Human Rights ‘ECHR’ delivered a landmark ruling on 9 April 2024 in a climate case brought by 2,000 Swiss women, mostly in their 70s

Three key components of a credible UK approach to chemicals regulation are, as at April 2024, currently missing.  

On 6 February 2024, in the face of strong opposition from farmers in the EU and their trade bodies such as COPA COGECA, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced the abandonment of the proposed Sustainable Use of Plant Protection Products Regulation, which contained the Commission’s aim to halve pesticide use. This had been an important part of the Commission’s ‘Farm to Fork’ strategy and its Green Deal. 

On 30 January 2024 the Welsh Government issued a White Paper setting out its proposals for new legislation for the Senedd on Environmental Principles, Governance and Biodiversity Targets. The consultation will run until 30 April 2024.

The re-establishment of devolved government in Northern Ireland was the subject of intense negotiations for months before conclusions were announced by the UK government and the leadership of the Democratic Unionist Party ‘DUP’, and with the publication on 31 January 2024 of the Command Paper ‘Safeguarding the Union’ (CP 1021).  

On 8 January 2024, the UK Parliament will be asked to vote on the Offshore Petroleum Licensing Bill.

This will amend the UK’s Petroleum Act 1998, and require the Oil and Gas Authority, also known as the North Sea Transition Authority, to run an annual process inviting applications for new oil and gas production licences.

Natural England has said that –

“Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) is an approach to development, land and marine management that leaves biodiversity in a measurably better state than before the development took place.”

On 11 December 2023, the new Secretary of State for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs Steve Barclay announced changes to the Variable Monetary Penalties that the Environment Agency can impose. This means that companies in breach of Environmental Permits in key areas could be subject to unlimited financial penalties, replacing the earlier cap of £250,000.