Working parties

UKELA has a wide and varied range of working parties, comprised of UKELA members, which meet regularly to discuss issues including the practice and impacts of environmental law, and recent developments and proposals for reform in relation to environmental law, policy and practice. They actively contribute to the development of their area of interest, and have an impressive record of contributing working papers and responses to government in relation to the development and reform of environmental law.

Any member of UKELA can join a working party. If you are interested in participating, please get in touch with the relevant Convenor - you can find their contact details (and in some cases, minutes of recent meetings) by clicking on the relevant working party link below.

National Policy Statements consultation

The government has been consulting on a draft National Policy Statement for ports as well as five policy statement for energy infrastructure. Further consultations on transport, waste, water and waste water are expected to be launched shortly. Under the Planning Act 2008 the National Policy Statements will be the primary consideration for the new Infrastructure Planning Commission when it comes to decide on applications for development consent for nationally significant infrastructure projects.
UKELA has responded to the Ports consultation and the response can be found below.

UKELA response to the Ports NPS Consultation Feb 2010 (Adobe Acrobat)

Climate Change and Energy working party: This working party seeks to influence and improve laws aimed at tackling climate change and promoting renewable energy. The activities of the Group have included responding to EU Commission and UK Government consultations on a range of climate change related issues.
Corporate Due Diligence: This working party brings together key players in the corporate due diligence arena, in order to enable and effect change within the market sector. The party is represented by members of the advisory services sector, including legal, financial, environmental and commercial due diligence professionals.
Environmental Litigation: The environmental litigation working party seeks to review, influence and inform UKELA members on matters connected with environmental litigation.
Land Contamination and Insurance: The contaminated land and insurance and liability working parties have now combined into one. It is looking at issues like whether Part 2A is working; the Soil Framework Directive; the extent to which insurance is / may become available in relation to carbon-trading related (and sequestration related) risks;products developed in response to the belated implementation of the Environmental Liabilities Directive; and provision of a forum for lawyers, consultants, academics and others interested in environmental insurance to quiz underwriters and brokers about the covers available, what can / cannot be insured, etc.
Nature Conservation working party: The working party has approximately 40 Members working in different fields concerned with nature conservation. Representatives of statutory agencies and of non-governmental organisations, environmental and planning consultants, lawyers in private and public sector practice, and academics. It is open to all members of UKELA with an active interest in preservation of wildlife and biodiversity.
Northern Ireland: To provide advice to UKELA on environmental law issues relevant to Northern Ireland with a particular focus on environmental governance.
Planning and Sustainable Development working party: The working party aims to influence the debate about planning and the scope and ambition of sustainable development. Whilst the language of 'sustainable development' has been around for some time, the last few years have seen a considerable effort to translate this international ambition to the national and local level. Lawyers can no longer treat sustainable development as if it was confined to the field of policy-making. The term is now appearing in legislation, and as a material consideration in the decisions of public bodies.
Scottish Law: This working party on environmental law in Scotland responds to relevant consultation papers when they are published. Most of its communications are electronic. It is interested in attracting more members who wish to get involved with influencing environmental law in Scotland as it develops.
Waste working party: The remit of the working party is to monitor, understand and influence the creation of waste management law, as well as being UKELA's mouthpiece on waste management law issues.
Water working party: This working party is involved in formulating UKELA's views on government consultation papers, EU initiatives and other legal developments relating to water resource protection and management, the marine environment, water pollution issues, flood defence, fisheries, and other relevant topics. We also get involved in proactive work on areas of particular interest to the group.