“This letter is to notify you that Natural England has decided to prepare 23 EDPs in England,” the agency confirmed in correspondence dated 19 December. Hours earlier, ministers signed commencement regulations to switch on the new regime, starting with environmental delivery plans now and wider compulsory purchase and infrastructure provisions from 18 February 2026.

For the North, the first wave of EDPs matters immediately. Natural England’s list includes nutrient catchments at River Eden and River Kent in Cumbria, the Peak District Dales, and Teesmouth & Cleveland Coast-areas that have delayed housing and industrial schemes. Seven regional EDPs for great crested newts also cover Northumberland, Tyne & Wear, Durham, North Yorkshire and every county in the North West, giving councils and developers a clearer route through habitats constraints.

EDPs are a new, plan‑led tool that front‑loads mitigation and monitoring so individual applications don’t have to re‑prove the same environment case each time. The Planning and Infrastructure Act 2025 sets out how plans are made, consulted on and published, plus reporting during their lifespan. Expect consultation on charging schedules for the Nature Restoration Levy to follow.

From 18 February 2026, councils and combined authorities gain practical CPO tools. “Conditional confirmation” lets a confirming authority sign off an order subject to named conditions, rather than force projects to wait until every funding or consenting thread is tied off. That should reduce idle time on brownfield assembly in places like Teesside, West Yorkshire and Greater Manchester.

On land entry, general vesting declarations are tightened and sped up. Where land is unoccupied or ownership cannot be identified-and in defined circumstances-authorities will be able to use an expedited procedure, with clear notice and challenge safeguards. Separate provisions allow earlier vesting by agreement with owners, giving willing sellers certainty on dates and cashflow.

The compensation framework keeps its balance but removes windfalls where appropriate. Authorities making CPOs can, in defined cases, direct that compensation ignores “hope value” for future permissions under section 14A of the Land Compensation Act 1961, with additional safeguards also on the statute book. Parish‑backed acquisitions routed via principal councils are explicitly catered for.

National Policy Statements, which guide decisions on major energy, transport and water projects, will move to routine updates at least every five years, with clearer parliamentary handling for material changes. For Northern schemes-grid upgrades, port logistics on the Tees and Mersey, and new rolling stock depots-this should make consenting less brittle over time.

Development corporations also get a tune‑up. Duties on sustainable development, climate change and good design are standardised across models, and every type of development corporation will have the same explicit power to provide infrastructure-from heat networks to rail and tram-rather than the current patchwork. That’s directly relevant to bodies such as South Tees Development Corporation and Stockport MDC.

Transitional rules mean CPOs where statutory notices were first published before the switch‑on date continue under the old system, avoiding mid‑process shifts. Government has also stressed the expedited vesting route is not a free‑for‑all: expect it to be limited to unoccupied, unsafe or derelict properties, with standard notice protections retained.

Local government voices are broadly supportive. As the LGA put it during the Bill stage, the earlier vesting options and streamlined steps should speed up decision‑making on CPOs and lower admin costs for councils-useful in tight budgets, and especially in town‑centre renewal work across the North.

What to do now: Northern promoters should map schemes against the EDP areas and engage early with Natural England; re‑profile CPO timetables to test conditional confirmation and earlier vesting by agreement; and line up any development‑corporation proposals with the new climate and infrastructure duties. With the main changes due on 18 February 2026, there’s a short window to lock in programmes and budget for new notice requirements.