On the horizon - August 2026

In this month's update we highlight recent draft legislation and publications that indicate potential future legislation changes, as well as key dates.

Draft legislation

The Town and Country Planning (Fees for Applications, Deemed Applications, Requests and Site Visits) (England) (Amendment and Transitional Provision) Regulations 2026 – will increase fees payable to local planning authorities.

The Boiler Upgrade Scheme (Amendment to the Energy Act 2008 etc.) Regulations 2026 – renewable heat incentives allowed under the Energy Act 2008 will be expanded to include thermal energy storage systems, minor changes are also to be made to the Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS).
The Building Safety Levy (Amendment) (England) Regulations 2026 – changes will exclude wholly underground buildings and unlawful developments from the scope of ‘previously developed’ land and increase the deadline for a collecting authority to notify those liable to pay the levy. Corrections will also be made to existing legislation.
The Plant Health, Seeds, Seed Potatoes and Plant Propagating Material (Amendment) (Northern Ireland) Regulations 2026 – will update references to outdated legislation and make non-compliance with listed EU legislation an offence.
The Nature Restoration Levy Regulations 2026 – will enable developers to meet environmental responsibilities through the payment of a levy, avoiding the need for site by site mitigations.
The Town and Country Planning (Discharge of Local Planning Authority Functions) (England) Regulations 2026 – will require local planning authorities (LPAs) to delegate specific planning functions to committees and officers.

Proposed EU legislation which has recently been consulted on can be found here.

Policy papers & publications

Republic of Ireland

Consultations

UK Consultation Outcomes

LUS subscribers can find all recent consultations at:

Key dates

1st January 2027 – The qualifying period of employment, enabling an employee to claim unfair dismissal under the Employment Rights Act 1996, is reduced to 6 months.

24th March 2027 – Additional energy efficiency requirements for building work apply under The Building Regulations 2010

22nd July 2027 – Waste carriers and transports require a permit or exemption in England, replacing the current waste carrier, broker and dealer system under The Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2016

Useful Links

Environment

Environment Agency

Natural Resources Wales

Scottish Environment Protection Agency

Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs

NetRegs

Environmental Protection Agency

European Commission

Health & Safety

Health and Safety Executive

Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland

Health and Safety Authority

European Agency for Safety and Health at Work

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