There has been significant interest amongst constituents about the environmental protections in the Planning and Infrastructure Bill. Thank you to all those who contacted me.
I would like to set out the original proposals in the Planning and Infrastructure Bill, my concerns with the provisions in the Bill, the changes we were able to persuade the Government to make and why these allay my concerns, and what will happen next.
The original proposals in the Planning and Infrastructure Bill and my concerns
The Planning and Infrastructure Bill seeks to tackle the conundrum of how to deliver the Government’s ambitious housebuilding targets whilst protecting the environment and enhancing, not reducing, protections for nature. I welcome the Government’s commitment to speeding up the delivery of the homes that people need alongside recovering nature.
I support the Bill, including the new approach to meeting existing environmental obligations introduced in Part 3 of the Bill, which if done well, could accelerate housebuilding at the same time as delivering bigger and more effective ecological interventions to compensate for any unavoidable environmental impacts from development.
However, I shared concerns raised by my constituents, the Office for Environmental Protection, and environmental experts during the Environmental Audit Committee (which I chair) inquiry into housebuilding and environmental sustainability, about the detailed provisions in Part 3 of the Bill. I was concerned that, without strengthening, the provisions in the Bill might reduce the level of protection provided for some of England’s most vulnerable and rare species and habitats.
The Bill was debated in the House of Commons in June and at the time I took action to strengthen the Bill to deliver better for nature and people together.
I tabled several constructive amendments with the aim of strengthening the Bill so that it delivers on its potential to protect nature and accelerate housebuilding. I also met with the Minister for Housing, who is responsible for the Bill, the Rt Hon Matthew Pennycook MP, to discuss these concerns. You can watch my speech during the debate setting out the amendments here- https://parliamentlive.tv/event/index/366fa2e5-bf41-42e6-8249-750d6d89c029?in=18:52:47
The changes to the Bill
During the debate on the Planning and Infrastructure Bill in the Commons, I was heartened by the Minister’s response that he was giving serious consideration to ways in which the Government might instil further confidence that the Bill will deliver good outcomes for nature and housing. This included the point I raised in the debate and in my proposed amendment 136 (further detail below) about scientific safeguards in the Bill. It also included the point raised by my colleague the Member for North East Hertfordshire Chris Hinchliff and supported by myself about greater certainty in the timescale for delivering conservation measures.
For this reason, I supported the Planning and Infrastructure Bill at Report Stage, and committed to keep a close eye on how the Government addresses these concerns when the Bill moved to the House of Lords at the end of June.
I was pleased that at the end of last week (17 July) the Government followed through on its commitment and amended the Planning and Infrastructure Bill to address the concerns raised by myself, other MPs, the Office for Environmental Protection, environmental stakeholder, and my constituents. The specific changes strengthen the provisions in Part 3 by:
- Ensuring that Environmental Delivery Plans can only be introduced where there is good scientific evidence that they will work.
- Requiring Environmental Delivery Plans to include a timetable or sequence of when conservation measures will be delivered.
- Reinforcing the mitigation hierarchy by requiring Environmental Delivery Plans to have regard to the need to avoid or reduce impacts on site, before looking at conservation measures offsite.
- Strengthening the legal test that Environmental Delivery Plans deliver overall environmental improvement.
The Office for Environmental Protection, which originally raised concerns about Part 3 of the Planning and Infrastructure Bill, has welcomed these amendments- https://www.theoep.org.uk/report/oep-welcomes-proposed-amendments-planning-and-infrastructure-bill.
The Government’s changes have addressed my concerns and have greatly strengthened the Planning and Infrastructure Bill to ensure that nature is protected whilst accelerating development.
Next steps
The Planning and Infrastructure Bill will continue its passage through the House of Lords in the autumn. I will keep a close eye on further developments.
This is an issue I feel strongly about and have been looking at in greater detail in my role as Chair of the Environmental Audit Committee. I discussed how nature can be protected in housebuilding on the Committee Corridor podcast which you can listen to here-
I recently questioned the Housing Minister Matthew Pennycook on the nature protections in the Planning and Infrastructure Bill at an Environmental Audit Committee meeting, which you can watch or read the transcript here- https://committees.parliament.uk/event/24892/formal-meeting-oral-evidence-session/.
I am committed to ensuring that environmental safeguards in the Bill are sufficient to protect our natural heritage for future generations. If anyone has any questions on the Government’s changes or further issues you would like to raise on the detail of the Bill, please to write to me at [email protected] and I will consider them.
