6.9 The Government is building on these existing reforms and has developed a package of options to implement the recommendations made by the Penfold Review, which reported in July 2010. The focus of this work has been on the key consenting and advisory agencies (Environment Agency, Natural England, English Heritage, Highways Agency, and the Health and Safety Executive). In addition to the consenting role of some of these agencies, they all play a key role in providing advice on a large number of planning applications.
6.10 To provide a consistent framework and to send a signal of intent to business, the Government will ensure the key consenting and advisory agencies have a remit to promote sustainable development.
6.11 The change will be made as soon as the National Planning Policy Framework is finalised, and will ensure that these bodies are alive to the impact of their decisions upon sustainable economic growth and on economically significant projects, as well as the environmental and social aspects of sustainability, and that they swiftly approve consents when it is appropriate to do so.
6.12 In addition to this, the Government will:
• simplify a number of heritage, highways and environmental non-planning consents, with some scrapped altogether. This will begin early 2012;
• introduce a 13 week maximum timescale for the majority of non-planning consents, to speed up the consenting process and give certainty to developers. This will take immediate effect for Government agencies; and
• make it easier to apply for consents. This will include providing information and links on key non-planning development consents closely associated with planning permission on the Planning Portal (these changes go live from April 2012).
6.13 A statement on the progress on implementing the Penfold Review recommendations is being published alongside the Autumn Statement.