The devolution of the Crown Estate in Wales: an environmental law perspective

Abstract The Crown Estate has an important role as a land manager and licensor of renewable energy projects in the UK, and the management of its assets links to long-term environmental targets, including the achievement of net zero by 2050. Recent debates on the devolution of the Crown Estate in Wales are therefore of importance to the future of environmental governance systems and renewable energy production. This analysis considers the general duty of the Crown Estate in relation to net zero and sustainable development targets, as well as how the devolution settlement has created the possibility for policy divergence and the extent to which the Crown Estate's operations have become territorialized. It finds that should the devolution of the Crown Estate take place in Wales, the emphasis will rest with the Welsh Parliament to create an ambitious, achievable, and enforceable governance structure for the effective delivery of environmental and net zero targets by a Welsh Crown Estate.