Ministers tell Environment Agency to wave planning applications through

Exclusive: Officials say they have been told to do as little as legally possible to prevent housing approvals

Ministers have told officials at the Environment Agency to wave through planning applications with minimal resistance, as part of a major regulatory shakeup designed to increase economic growth and plug the government’s financial hole.

Officials at the agency say they have been told to do as little as legally possible to prevent housing applications from being approved, with the government also drafting in senior advisers from the housing department to speed up the process.