Cornwall Wildlife Trust is concerned about the UK's proposed Planning & Infrastructure Bill, due to its lack of robust measures to protect and restore nature.

The Bill is another example of how policies intended to deliver growth are overlooking our economy's reliance on nature. The government's 'Plan for Change' agenda continually comes at the expense of our natural environment, highlighting an apparent disregard of the interconnectedness of nature and the economy. 

Nature must be recognised as a vital partner in building healthy and sustainable places to live and work in the future: side-lining environmental concerns and casting conservation as a blocker to growth will ultimately harm everyone. 

Our colleague, Debbie Tann MBE, Chief Executive at Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust, argues that while the government presents the Bill as a means to boost economic growth and address nature's decline, it may in fact jeopardise long-term ecological health. She claims "it threatens  to thwart long-term health and prosperity by undermining, not strengthening, our natural infrastructure and life-support systems".

"Part 3 of the Bill sets out their proposed radical new approach to dealing with environmental impacts of development. The plan is to fast-track and streamline current environmental rules by creating a simple ‘nature restoration fund’ that developers can pay into, via a one-off ‘levy’, in order to account for the damage they may inflict on wildlife and nature. This would then enable Natural England and partners to deliver nature restoration at speed and scale."

This approach could lead to a transactional mindset, where environmental harm is simply paid off, potentially resulting in inadequate protection for vulnerable species and habitats.

"Don’t get me wrong", Tanner continues, "nature restoration at speed and scale is exactly what we need. By any measure, nature in the UK is still in freefall and we have 5 years to meet the Government’s own commitments to halt this decline and secure 30% of land and sea for nature’s recovery.  We know that is going to take a herculean effort."

"Win-wins are possible if we start thinking about how nature can help create healthy, sustainable places to live and work for the future. But the short term shelving of nature’s needs, to clear the way for build, build, build means everyone loses in the long run. This Bill not only creates huge risks for wildlife, it also risks creating further delays and uncertainty for developers. Government needs to properly recognise that climate and nature are the biggest risks to our economy and security, as key sectors like insurance and food are now doing, and start taking responsibility for the long-term health and prosperity of the nation".

Read Debbie's full blog

At Cornwall Wildlife Trust, we are concerned about this ongoing rhetoric from government of nature being blamed for increasing the costs of building projects and holding up progress. Following on from our hustings across Cornwall last year, we have invited our local MPs to a round table event focussing on Nature and Development later this month. The round table will explore the Bill and what it means for Cornwall, as well as hearing from local developers who are working to take nature into account. Also Cornwall Environmental Consultants will debunk the myth that bats and newts are the main reason for developments being delayed. 

Additionally, we support the briefing from The Wildlife Trusts which urges the government to "fill in the blanks’" to avoid the Planning & Infrastructure Bill undermining vital nature protections. Read the brief here. Together with The Wildlife Trusts and over 30 organisations, we have written to the government warning that the planning Bill "throws environmental protection to the wind" and is "one-sided", which could allow developers to ignore environmental protections. Read more in the article here.