Latest news with #OfficeForEnvironmentalProtection
The Guardian
09-06-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
We need a better planning bill than this
Environmental organisations have not 'changed their tune' on planning reforms (England's planning bill has many naysayers. I'm not one of them, 4 June). As it stands, the bill has major flaws and is a long way from achieving a win-win for nature and development. Environmentalists engaged around the bill in good faith, but, when published, it was clear it was missing the safeguards needed – and the government's own independent adviser, the Office for Environmental Protection, agrees. The bill does not set out a responsibility to avoid harm to nature and communities wherever possible. We need such a duty to drive development that takes the best route for people and nature, not the low-quality option. We need the proposed Nature Restoration Fund to provide guaranteed results, with evidence to back this up. Without such guarantees the scheme allows destruction of nature on a wing and a prayer that it will effectively be restored elsewhere. Ensuring certainty of outcomes and robust protections are not just vital for nature, they are good lawmaking. Our job is to defend nature, so we must challenge these major protection gaps now and champion the changes that are needed. If not, the whole country will pay the price for a flawed system in future, with increased nature loss, greater pollution and less healthy communities. It makes economic sense too, with nature degradation estimated to lead to a 12% decrease in GDP in coming years. We know the system can work better – it is possible to create a planning system that works hand in hand to deliver wildlife recovery at scale, and the new homes we need. The nature sector has always been, and remains willing, to come to the table with the government to achieve the win-win we all Bennett CEO, the Wildlife Trusts, Beccy Speight CEO, RSPB, Harry Bowell Director of land and nature, National Trust, Ali Plummer Director of policy and advocacy, Wildlife and Countryside Link
The Guardian
05-06-2025
- Business
- The Guardian
Labour using Brexit to weaken nature laws, MPs say
Labour is using post-Brexit freedoms to override EU nature laws and allow chalk streams and nightingale habitats to be destroyed, MPs have said. The planning and infrastructure bill going through parliament will allow developers to circumvent EU-derived environmental protections and instead pay into a nature restoration fund. This would override the habitats directive, which protects animals including otters, salmon and dormice. Under the new bill it will be possible to pay into the fund and build over their habitats. The bill also allows potential development of EU-designated sites including sites of special scientific interest and special protection areas. This week the Guardian revealed that the bill poses a threat to 5,251 areas known as 'jewels in the crown' for nature. They include cherished natural landscapes such as the New Forest, the Surrey Heaths, the Peak District Moors and the Forest of Bowland, and rivers such as the Itchen in Hampshire and the Wensum in Norfolk. The Office for Environmental Protection, the nature watchdog set up to replace EU checks and balances, has warned that the bill would be a 'regression' in terms environmental protection. Clive Lewis, the Labour MP for Norwich South, said the public did not realise Brexit was being used to weaken nature laws. 'I don't think people have made the connection about Brexit,' he said. 'What we, the Labour government, are doing with Brexit is using it in such a poor way. We've already seen it with water standards, pesticide standards over the last eight years, but this just turbocharges it all. 'There's a sense we are able to get away with it because it's not what people expect us to do. There is immediate outrage from the public when the Tories do it. People are confused when Labour does it.' He said he would be voting against the bill in its current form. 'I don't understand how anyone who is environmentally minded can vote for this bill,' Lewis said. Other political parties are planning to try to win over disaffected nature-loving Labour voters who will be disheartened to see their local green spaces concreted over before the next general election. Gideon Amos, the Liberal Democrats' planning and housing spokesperson, said: 'The government seems content to dilute protections of our waterways and local wildlife with vague promises of future benefits and little clarity about when they will materialise. With national landscapes and precious chalk streams disappearing, we need urgent action from the government, working with our European neighbours, to protect vital ecosystems which run right across Europe. 'The Liberal Democrats have long led the campaign in parliament to clean up our rivers and chalk streams. We will continue to fight for their survival with our amendments to protect chalk streams and natural habitats in this bill.' Zack Polanski, the deputy leader of the Green party, said: 'Labour are once again showing there's nothing they won't learn from Reform. Not only are they content to sell off nature to the highest bidder, they're only able to do so because they've utterly failed to defend the regulations that once protected our environment. 'This destruction is only possible because of their utter inaction on making the case for the value of EU environmental protections. From nightingales to chalk streams, our natural habitats deserve so much better than this bill – and so much better than this nature-destroying Labour party.' The Wildlife Trusts said: 'The legislation would significantly weaken important habitat regulations – rules which have helped to effectively protect wildlife and wild spaces for decades. In so doing the bill risks stripping away vital protections without clear requirements on developers to deliver the nature restoration needed to revive precious landscapes such as chalk streams, wildflower meadows and ancient woodlands, and to protect treasured species like hazel dormice, otters and struggling bird and butterfly species.'
The Independent
22-05-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Planning reforms break Labour's promise to protect nature, green groups say
The Government's planning reforms break its manifesto promises to protect and restore the nation's natural environment, green groups have claimed. The Planning and Infrastructure Bill going through Parliament overrides existing habitat and nature protections, which the Government considers to be a barrier to housebuilding and economic growth. The draft legislation, if passed, would instead allow developers to make general environmental improvements and pay into a nature restoration fund that improves habitats on other sites. But the Office for Environmental Protection watchdog recently warned that the Bill represents a 'regression' in environmental law and would remove safeguards for nature. The Government's own assessment of the Bill also found little evidence green protections are a blocker to development. The Wildlife Trusts and the RSPB are now warning that irreplaceable habitats such as chalk streams and ancient woodland, species such as hazel dormice and otters, and areas such as the New Forest and Peak District Moors will no longer be as strongly protected from development. The groups said they have been calling for a series of amendments to tone down what they see as the most damaging aspects of the Bill but that the Government has failed to listen to their concerns or consider their 'constructive solutions'. Now they want to see ministers remove part of the nature recovery section entirely, which they say replaces environmental protections with a weaker substitute. The Planning and Infrastructure Bill was introduced in March and comes as Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Chancellor Rachel Reeves argue that current nature rules have gone too far, often citing the £100 million HS2 bat tunnel. Craig Bennett, chief executive of The Wildlife Trusts, said: 'Before the general election, Labour promised to restore nature. 'Under a year later, the Chancellor is leading an ideological charge against the natural world despite it being the very foundation of the economy, society and people's health. 'Promises have been broken, and millions of people have been betrayed.' Mr Bennett said the Bill in its current form 'fundamentally undermines' the Government's commitment to protect nature, describing proposals on nature recovery as a 'Trojan horse' and a 'misnomer'. He also said the organisation is 'appalled' that the suggestions it has put forward to ministers have 'all been spurned'. The organisations also published research on Thursday arguing that nature does not block economic growth. It found that bats and great crested newts – protected species often cited in arguments for removing planning barriers – are a factor in just 3% of planning appeal decisions. Alongside the paper, a Savanta survey commissioned by the Wildlife Trusts suggests less than a third (32%) of the British public feel the Government has kept its promises to improve access to nature, promote biodiversity and protect wildlife. The poll also found just 26% of the 2,035 respondents believe the Government is taking the nature crisis seriously enough while just 25% said they would back building developments in their area even if they harmed the local environment. Beccy Speight, RSPB chief executive, said the organisation engaged 'in good faith' with the Government for months but that the current draft legislation will 'rip the heart out of environmental protections and risks sending nature further into freefall'. 'The fate of our most important places for nature and the laws that protect them are all in the firing line,' she said. 'That cannot be allowed to stand. 'The evidence clearly shows nature isn't a blocker to growth. 'The Government has identified the wrong obstacle to the problem it's trying to overcome, and that has led it to the wrong solutions.' A Government spokesperson said: 'We completely reject these claims. The government has inherited a failing system that has delayed new homes and infrastructure while doing nothing for nature's recovery, and we are determined to fix this through our Plan for Change. 'That's why our Planning and Infrastructure Bill will deliver a win-win for the economy and nature by unblocking building and economic growth, and delivering meaningful environmental improvements.'
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Planning reforms break Labour's promise to protect nature, green groups say
The Government's planning reforms break its manifesto promises to protect and restore the nation's natural environment, green groups have claimed. The Planning and Infrastructure Bill going through Parliament overrides existing habitat and nature protections, which the Government considers to be a barrier to housebuilding and economic growth. The draft legislation, if passed, would instead allow developers to make general environmental improvements and pay into a nature restoration fund that improves habitats on other sites. But the Office for Environmental Protection watchdog recently warned that the Bill represents a 'regression' in environmental law and would remove safeguards for nature. The Government's own assessment of the Bill also found little evidence green protections are a blocker to development. The Wildlife Trusts and the RSPB are now warning that irreplaceable habitats such as chalk streams and ancient woodland, species such as hazel dormice and otters, and areas such as the New Forest and Peak District Moors will no longer be as strongly protected from development. The groups said they have been calling for a series of amendments to tone down what they see as the most damaging aspects of the Bill but that the Government has failed to listen to their concerns or consider their 'constructive solutions'. Now they want to see ministers remove part of the nature recovery section entirely, which they say replaces environmental protections with a weaker substitute. The Planning and Infrastructure Bill was introduced in March and comes as Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Chancellor Rachel Reeves argue that current nature rules have gone too far, often citing the £100 million HS2 bat tunnel. Craig Bennett, chief executive of The Wildlife Trusts, said: 'Before the general election, Labour promised to restore nature. 'Under a year later, the Chancellor is leading an ideological charge against the natural world despite it being the very foundation of the economy, society and people's health. 'Promises have been broken, and millions of people have been betrayed.' Mr Bennett said the Bill in its current form 'fundamentally undermines' the Government's commitment to protect nature, describing proposals on nature recovery as a 'Trojan horse' and a 'misnomer'. He also said the organisation is 'appalled' that the suggestions it has put forward to ministers have 'all been spurned'. The organisations also published research on Thursday arguing that nature does not block economic growth. It found that bats and great crested newts – protected species often cited in arguments for removing planning barriers – are a factor in just 3% of planning appeal decisions. Alongside the paper, a Savanta survey commissioned by the Wildlife Trusts suggests less than a third (32%) of the British public feel the Government has kept its promises to improve access to nature, promote biodiversity and protect wildlife. The poll also found just 26% of the 2,035 respondents believe the Government is taking the nature crisis seriously enough while just 25% said they would back building developments in their area even if they harmed the local environment. Beccy Speight, RSPB chief executive, said the organisation engaged 'in good faith' with the Government for months but that the current draft legislation will 'rip the heart out of environmental protections and risks sending nature further into freefall'. 'The fate of our most important places for nature and the laws that protect them are all in the firing line,' she said. 'That cannot be allowed to stand. 'The evidence clearly shows nature isn't a blocker to growth. 'The Government has identified the wrong obstacle to the problem it's trying to overcome, and that has led it to the wrong solutions.' A Government spokesperson said: 'We completely reject these claims. The government has inherited a failing system that has delayed new homes and infrastructure while doing nothing for nature's recovery, and we are determined to fix this through our Plan for Change. 'That's why our Planning and Infrastructure Bill will deliver a win-win for the economy and nature by unblocking building and economic growth, and delivering meaningful environmental improvements.'
The Guardian
07-05-2025
- Business
- The Guardian
UK government admits almost no evidence nature protections block development
There is very little evidence that protections for nature are a blocker to development, the government has admitted in its own impact assessment of the controversial new planning and infrastructure bill. The analysis by Whitehall officials provides no data or research to back up the government's central argument that it is environmental legislation that holds up building. Ministers say the new bill will speed up housing developments and large infrastructure projects by allowing developers to avoid meeting environmental obligations to protect habitats and species such as barn owls, otters, bats and newts, at the site of their project, by paying into a central nature recovery fund (NRF) which will be used to create environmental improvement elsewhere. Officials admit this nature improvement could be in a different county to the place where the building is taking place, raising fears it will reduce access to nature. The NRF, which is in part three of the bill, has been criticised by leading economists, ecologists and former government advisers as a 'licence to kill nature' with no evidence that it would boost the economy. They want part three of the bill withdrawn for further consultation. The Office for Environmental Protection watchdog has published a legal opinion which states the new bill in its current draft would remove safeguards for nature and put protected sites at risk. Now the central reason given by the government for the new legislation, that nature is a blocker to development – promoted by prime minister Keir Starmer, chancellor Rachel Reeves and housing secretary Angela Rayner – has been undermined by the government's own impact assessment. Officials attempted to examine the impact of one environmental obligation – nutrient neutrality – on building delays, but officials said: 'There is very limited data on how environmental obligations affect development. 'This makes reaching a robust estimate of the impacts associated with the NRF, which will streamline the process for discharging environmental obligations, very challenging.' They have not analysed other environmental obligations, including the requirement to protect sites of special scientific interest (SSSI), not to harm threatened species such as bats or barn owls, and to adhere to water neutrality rules to ensure the development does not overwhelm water demand in an area, because there is a 'lack of data' on the impact of any of these obligations on housing delays. Robert Oates, CEO and founder of the ecological consultancy Arbtech, said: 'The government's impact assessment on the planning and infrastructure bill lays bare a truth many of us in the industry have suspected for some time: they have no idea how this bill will affect vulnerable species like barn owls and otters. 'By its own frank admission, the government has 'very limited' data on how environmental obligations impact planning, and has based its assumptions solely on nutrient neutrality.' He said despite the lack of any evidence, entire species now risked being sacrificed under the false premise that nature blocks development. 'Time and again, the government has failed to produce any evidence to support this claim,' he added. skip past newsletter promotion Sign up to Down to Earth The planet's most important stories. Get all the week's environment news - the good, the bad and the essential Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain info about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. For more information see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. after newsletter promotion The impact assessment also states that the solutions for nature and development which the government says the bill provides are already possible within the current system without the need for new legislation. Officials list as a risk factor the ability of Natural England, the government's wildlife watchdog, to run the nature recovery fund and to create the environmental projects in time to allow developers to avoid specific legislation to protect wildlife and habitats at each of their individual project sites. 'Instead of speeding up housebuilding, the government is paving the way for ecological destruction while creating a new planning bottleneck – this time within Natural England,' said Oates. Becky Pullinger, head of land use planning at the Wildlife Trusts, said: 'After weeks of ministers refusing to engage with the strong evidence that current environmental protections don't delay development, the UK government's own impact assessment has confirmed that there is 'very limited data' to back up their argument that nature is a blocker. 'It's time for ministers to follow the evidence and amend the planning and infrastructure bill before it devastates nature in the name of a false diagnosis. We can protect nature and build homes, but not through the current bill.' The admission in the impact assessment comes as the chair of the environmental audit committee (EAC), Toby Perkins, said the government risked failing to meet its pledge to protect 30% of land by 2030 and offer communities greater access to nature. The EAC, in a report published on Wednesday, said the push for developers to pay into an NRF was fuelling speculation ministers may be wavering on their commitment to biodiversity net gain, which drives investment into nature by encouraging developers to provide a minimum increase in biodiversity of 10%, whether this is done on the development site, delivered somewhere else, or by buying 'credits' from the government as compensation.
