Recommendation 98

Natural England’s new Protected Sites Strategy approach should be extended to all protected sites in an ‘unfavourable’ condition. These strategies should include a time-bound action plan for restoring its condition in line with the environmental principles policy statement. 56 Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004, section 38 57 Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, National Planning Policy Framework , para 11 58 Savills, ‘Planning Data Update 2023’ (11 January 2023): https://www.savills. co.uk/research_articles/229130/338073-0 [accessed 6 September 2023] 59 Lichfields, ‘Planning matters: Failing to plan or planning to fail? The State of Local Plan-Making’ (20 April 2023) https:// lichfields.uk/blog/2023/april/20/failing-to-plan-or- planning-to-fail-the-state-of-local-plan-making/ [accessed 6 September 2023] 60 Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, News story: Long-term plan for housing 61 Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, ‘Councils urged to ensure Local Plans are up to date’ (19 January 2021): https://www.gov.uk/government/news/councils-urged -to-ensure-local-plans-are-up-to-date [accessed 6 September 2023] 62 Q 31 (Richard Blyth) 63 Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, ‘Air Quality Management Areas (AQMAs)’: https://uk-air.defra.gov.uk/aqma/ [accessed 30 August 2023] 64 Q 31 (Carolyn Mackenzie) 65 Written evidence from the Environment Agency ( IER0013 ) 66 Ibid. 67 Royal Town Planning Institute, ‘Planning for a better future: RTPI Proposals for Planning Reform in England’ (March 2023): https://www.rtpi.org .uk/policy-and-research/planning-for-a-better-future/ [accessed 23 August 2023] 68 Written evidence from the Wildlife and Countryside Link ( IER0023 ) 69 Select Committee on Land Use in England, Making the most out of England’s land (Report of Session 2022–23, HL Paper 105) and Environment and Climate Change Committee, An extraordinary challenge: Restoring 30 per cent of our land and sea by 2030 (2nd Report, Session 2022–23, HL Paper 234) 70 Q 119 (Professor Emma Lees) 71 Q 130 (Professor Emma Lees) 72 Ibid. 73 Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs, Government food strategy 74 Written answer HL2 273 (20 September 2022) 75 QQ 112 - 113 (Dr Richard Benwell), Q 107 (Joseph Lewis) 76 Q 112 (Dr Richard Benwell) 77 Select Committee on Land Use in England, Making the most out of England’s land (Report of Session 2022–23, HL Paper 105) 78 Q 112 (Dr Richard Benwell) 79 Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, National Planning Policy Framework , para 33 80 Built Environment Committee, ‘The impact of environmental regulations on development: summary of SME engagement event’ (2 August 2023): https://committees .parliament.uk/publications/41101/documents/200221/default/ 81 Q 113 (Dr Richard Benwell) and Local Government Association, Habitats Regulations advice for LPAs (15 November 2022): https://www.local.gov. uk/pas/topics/environment/nutrient-neutrality-and-planning-system/habitats- regulations-advice-lpas [accessed 23 August 2023] 82 Q 113 (Dr Richard Benwell) 83 Local Government Association, Habitats Regulations advice for LPAs 84 Q 45 (Hamish Walke) 85 Nutrient neutrality advice, for example, only applies in those catchments were connected protected sites are in an unfavourable condition. 86 For example, in south Cambridgeshire where the Environment Agency has reduced water abstraction licences owing to the impacts on protected habitats and is subsequently issuing advice against all EIA developments owing to insufficient water supply. The LPA has raised concerns that this undermines allocations within its current local plan. South Cambridgeshire District Council, Letter to Alison Dyson, The Planning Inspectorate, from the Environment Agency, (23 May 2023), page 8: https://www.scambs.gov.uk/media/23727/cd1300-environment-agency- final-statement-23-may-2023.pdf [accessed 23 August 2023] 87 Q 7 (Professor Liz Fisher) 88 Q 29 (James Stevens), Q 45 (David Lowe) 89 Q 29 (James Stevens) 90 Built Environment Committee, ‘The impact of environmental regulations on development: private roundtable with volume housebuilders’ (10 July 2023): https ://committees.parliament.uk/publications/40809/documents/198879/default 91 Ibid. 92 Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs, Government food strategy 93 Built Environment Committee, The impact of environmental regulations on development: private roundtable with volume housebuilders 94 Ibid. 95 Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs, Policy paper: Environmental principles policy statement (updated 31 January 2023): https:// www.gov.uk/government/publications/environmental-principles-policy-statement/environmental- principles-policy-statement#environmental-principles-an-overview [accessed 23 August 2023] 96 Ibid. 97 Ibid. 98 Written evidence from the Home Builders Federation and the Land Promoters and Developers Federation ( IER0031 ); Gladman Developments Ltd ( IER0020 ); Councillor John Fuller OBE, Leader of South Norfolk District Council ( IER0027 ); and Lands Improvement Holdings Ltd ( IER0009 ) 99 Written evidence from Water UK ( IER0021 ) 100 Ibid. 101 ‘Loophole lets farmers pollute England’s rivers with excess manure—report’, The Guardian (13 July 2023): https://www. theguardian.com/environment/2023/jul/13/loophole-lets-farmers-pollute- uk-rivers-with-excess-manure-report [accessed 23 August 2023] 102 Q 167 (John Curtin) 103 ‘Housebuilders attack double standards as farmers pollute’, The Times (8 August 2023): https://www. thetimes.co.uk/article/66d58c0e-35f4-11ee-8810-d3022cd752ba [accessed 23 August 2023] 104 Written evidence from Land Improvement Holdings Ltd ( IER0009 ) 105 Ibid. 106 Ibid. 107 Q 199 (Trudy Harrison MP) 108 Eurostat Statistics ‘Explained, Agri-environmental indicator - livestock patterns’ (January 2023): https://ec. europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php?title=Agri-environmental_ indicator_-_livestock_patterns [accessed 23 August 2023] 109 ‘Setback for government as Council of State throws out new nitrogen rules’, Dutch News (2 November 2022): https://www.dutchnews.nl/2022/11/ setback-for-government-as-council-of-state-throws-out-new- nitrogen-rules/ [accessed 23 August 2023] 110 Government of the Netherlands, ‘The nitrogen strategy and the transformation of the rural areas’: https://www.government.nl/topics/nature-and-biodiversity/the-nitrogen-strategy-and-the-transformation-of-the-rural-areas [accessed 23 August 2023] 111 ‘Brussels gives green light to Dutch farm buyout plan’, Dutch News (2 May 2023): https ://www.dutchnews.nl/2023/05/brussels-gives-green-light-to-dutch -farm-buyout-plan/ . [accessed 23 August 2023] 112 ‘The easy guide to the Dutch nitrogen crisis, farmers’ protests, and more’, Dutch Review (13 October 2022): https://dutchreview.com/culture/ dutch-nitrogen-crisis-explained/ [accessed 23 August 2023] 113 Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs, Policy paper: Plan for Water: our integrated plan for delivering clean and plentiful water 114 Ibid. 115 Q 169 (John Curtin) 116 Q 155 (Alan Law) 117 Office for National Statistics, ‘Housing in England and Wales: 2021 compared with 2011’ (30 March 2023): https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/housing/articles/housinginenglandandwales/2021comparedwith2011 [accessed 23 August 2023] 118 Written evidence from Land Improvement Holdings Ltd ( IER0009 ) 119 Letter to Alison Dyson, The Planning Inspectorate, from the Environment Agency 120 Written evidence from Crawley Borough Council ( IER0025 ) 121 Ibid. 122 WCI, ‘A septic tank upgrade shouldn’t cost the earth’: https://www.wci.co.uk/nutrient-neutrality/phosphate-scheme-for-home-owners/ . [accessed 6 September 2023] 123 HM Government, Levelling Up the United Kingdom, CP 604 (2 February 2022): https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/ uploads/attachment_data/file/1052708/Levelling_up_the_UK_white_ paper.pdf [accessed 6 September 2023] 124 Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Environmental Improvement Plan 2023 125 Natural England, Guidance: Sites of special scientific interest: managing your land (updated 18 May 2023): https://www. gov.uk/guidance/protected-areas-sites-of-special-scientific-interest# achieving-favourable-condition [accessed 23 August 2023] 126 Natural England, ‘ Designated Sites View: SSSI Feature Condition Summary’ : https://designatedsites.naturalengland .org.uk/ReportFeatureConditionSummary.aspx?SiteType=ALL [accessed 23 August 2023] 127 Q 112 (Dr Richard Benwell) 128 Written evidence from the Wildlife Countryside Link ( IER0023 ) 129 Q 97 (Ben Kite) 130 Q 113 (Dr Richard Benwell) 131 Written evidence from Crawley Borough Council ( IER0025 ) 132 Environment and Climate Change Committee, An extraordinary challenge: Restoring 30 per cent of our land and sea by 2030 (2nd Report, Session 2022–23, HL Paper 234) 133 Ibid. 134 Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, ‘News story: 100,000 more homes to be built via reform of defective EU laws’ (29 August 2023): https ://www.gov.uk/government/news/100000-more-homes-to-be -built-via-reform-of-defective-eu-laws [accessed 30 August 2023] 135 Ibid. < Back Next > © Parliamentary copyright 2023 A-Z index Glossary Contact us Freedom of Information Jobs Using this website Copyright Privacy notice Cookie policy Cookie Manager House of Lords - The impact of environmental regulations on development - Built Environment Committee Accessibility Email alerts RSS feeds Contact us Home Parliamentary business MPs, Lords & offices About Parliament Get involved Visiting Education House of Commons House of Lords What's on Bills & legislation Committees Publications & records Parliament TV News Topics The impact of environmental regulations on development Contents Chapter 4: Public sector structures and resourcing Structures and resourcing