Government Planning Bill could be "massive backwards step" for nature
The proposed Planning and Infrastructure Bill is going through its reports stage on 8 and 9 June
The Essex Wildlife Trust have called part three of the proposed Planning and Infrastructure Bill a "massive backwards step" for nature.
The Planning & Infrastructure Bill was introduced in March, after the Chancellor said "nature protections were a blocker on development".
Currently going through its Report Stage in the House of Commons, the Bill aims to accelerate housing and infrastructure delivery in England.
It's part of the government's target to build 1.5 million safe and decent homes in England.
The head of conservation at the Essex Wildlife Trust Dr Jeremy Dagley tells Greatest Hits Radio parts of the Bill would be "shambolic" for biodiversity, and completely "remove environmental protections".
The proposed Bill would introduce a Nature Restoration Levy, allowing developers to pay a fee to a nation-wide Nature Restoration Fund.
The fund would be used for large environmental projects by organisations such as Natural England.
By paying the NRL, developers would be relieved of the need to conduct individual environmental assessments and interventions.
Dr Dagley has called it a "cash to trash":
"It would allow developers to go onto a site and just destroy everything, even during the birding season.
The Trust have warned Essex sites, Middlewick Ranges and Danbury Common, would be under real threat of destruction under the proposed Bill.
It added the Nature Restoration Fund is "not what it says on the label at all".
"Just because a developer pays the NRL, a development can just go ahead, a site will be just swept away.
"There'll be no avoidance, there'll be no mitigation. It's shambolic."
Research commissioned by The Wildlife Trusts shows that the public think the Government is failing nature, with 75% of adults saying the Government is not taking the nature crisis seriously enough.
In the Government's proposed Bill, funds from the NRL would be pooled and used by delivery bodies like Natural England to implement larger-scale, strategic nature restoration projects.
Dr Dagley has said under the Bill: "We could see the loss of nightingale habitats completely in the next decade.
"The species is something we are so proud of in Essex. Along with Kent, we are the most important county in the country for nightingales.
"They have declined by 90% since 1960. 9 out of 10 birds have disappeared so we have to protect them."
Craig Bennett, chief executive of The Wildlife Trusts has called part three of the proposed Bill "a license to destroy".
“It replaces vital nature protections with a weaker substitute, and has been described by the Government’s own nature watchdog as ‘environmentally regressive’ because it puts irreplaceable habitats and threatened species at risk." says Mr Bennett.
“Nature is in crisis and must not suffer further damage. Much loved places like the New Forest and Peak District Moors could now be at risk – that’s why we’re now saying the misleadingly named ‘Nature Recovery’ section must be removed.”
The Wildlife Trusts, including Essex, and other NGOs called for a series of amendments which would have toned down the most damaging aspects of the Bill, including adding safeguards for irreplaceable habitats like chalk streams.
The Government rejected these suggestions and now The Wildlife Trusts have joined forces with the RSPB to call for the Nature Recovery part 3 of the Bill to be removed.
We have contact the Department of Food, Rural Affairs, and the Environment for comment.