CIEEM Statement on Planning and Infrastructure Bill

Yesterday evening, the Government announced amendments to the Planning and Infrastructure Bill.

We welcome the Government’s initial steps to address some of the serious environmental concerns arising from the current iteration of Part 3 of the Planning and Infrastructure Bill. While progress has been slow, it is encouraging to see Ministers finally engaging with the sector.

This shift in position is a result of all of our collective efforts to highlight the flaws in the proposals and to apply pressure to turn the Government away from a course that would cause irreparable harm to nature.

So thank you to everyone who has contacted their MP, spoken to stakeholders and members of the public and contributed to shining a spotlight on this awful situation. Your efforts have made and are making a difference.

But there is still work to do. With the Government now in listening mode, there is still an opportunity to properly fix Part 3 of the Bill and ensure it delivers on its promise of a win-win for nature and development.

We believe that the Government’s proposed amendments still fall short. They fail to guarantee the vital safeguards nature needs, fail to preserve hard-won protections for species and habitats, and overall, still represent a step backwards for environmental standards in England.  And let us not forget that these environmental standards deliver significant economic, health and wellbeing benefits for us all. This battle has not just been about protecting nature for nature’s sake, but also protecting the vital benefits and services that nature provides.

While the proposed improvements to Environmental Delivery Plans (EDPs) are a step in the right direction, major flaws do remain.

Most notable is the glaring absence of the mitigation hierarchy – a cornerstone of current environmental protections. Without it – and the imperative to avoid adverse impacts on biodiversity from occurring in the first place – the Bill opens the door to the devastation of some of our most important natural sites and species. And whilst we note the Ministerial Statement recognises the use of the mitigation hierarchy in EDP development, such Statements are too easily reversed and do not have the strength of primary legislation.

Equally important, is the need for EDPs to guarantee that environmental compensation and enhancement happen before any damage is done – so as to avoid a dangerous nature deficit and to protect vulnerable species from local extinctions.

So, the fight goes on.