Defra and Planning Ministers Write Open Letter to eNGO Community
In a joint open letter, published on Sunday 21 July 2024, the Secretary of State for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Steve Reed MP) and Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government (Angela Rayner MP) have stated that they wish to take forward house building and nature recovery together – with the help of the nature conservation NGO community.
The letter references the Planning and Infrastructure Bill, noting that the current planning system is not working. They reference environmental assessments and case-by-case negotiations of compensation, which can slow development but there are other issues that slow develop more than this (e.g. capacity in the construction sector and developers sitting on land). In CIEEM’s priorities for the new Government, we also point out that properly funding the nature conservation agencies and local authorities would significantly improve the planning system too.
However, it is pleasing to see joined up thinking across government departments, and an invitation to engage in finding win-win approaches for both development and nature recovery. CIEEM looks forward to engaging with the Government on this important issue as we tackle the triple interlinked crises of nature loss, climate change and inequality.