Source · Select Committees · Environmental Audit Committee
Recommendation 15
15
Acknowledged
Avoid viewing nature as an inconvenience or blocker to new housebuilding projects.
Recommendation
The Government must not veer down the path of viewing nature as an inconvenience or blocker to housebuilding. In most cases housing delivery is delayed or challenged due to unclear and conflicting policies, land banking and skills shortages. Using nature as a scapegoat means that the Government will be less effective at tackling some of the genuine challenges facing the planning system. At worst, this approach could lead to the degradation of the natural world, preventing the achievement of legally- binding climate and nature targets, upon which our society and economy depends. (Conclusion, Paragraph 78)
Government Response Summary
The government responds by detailing the monitoring and reporting requirements for the Nature Restoration Fund (NRF) and Environmental Delivery Plans (EDPs), asserting that these robust safeguards will ensure positive environmental outcomes are secured alongside development, implicitly addressing the concern about nature being viewed as a blocker.
Government Response
Acknowledged
HM Government
Acknowledged
48. As set out above, each EDP will need to contain monitoring measures which are sufficient to monitor the effectiveness of the conservation measures which have been implemented, and the effects of the EDP in general. 49. Alongside reports for each individual EDP, Natural England will be required to publish an annual report for the NRF overall which will set out each EDP in force as well as the pipeline of any EDPs being prepared, and a summary of the accounts in relation to each EDP (amount of levy received and the amount spend on conservation measures). We are confident that these reporting requirements will provide the Secretary of State with confidence that the overall improvement test is being achieved, and where this is not the case backup measures will be brought forward. 50. We recognise it is important to articulate how the principles of the existing mitigation hierarchy are expressed through this system. The Government is preparing regulations setting out how Natural England should approach the prioritisation of actions taken to address the impacts of development. These will be in place before the first EDP comes forward, so that they can inform the development of EDPs as well as the wider approach to monitoring and reporting. The legislation’s robust safeguards and reporting requirements will remain in place whether the conservation measures have been delivered onsite or not, securing a positive environmental outcome in all cases. Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG)