Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the nature restoration fund on (a) peatlands, (b) ancient woodlands and (c) other irreplaceable habitats.

The Planning and Infrastructure Bill provides an opportunity to accelerate housebuilding and infrastructure delivery by using development to fund nature recovery. This will create a win-win outcome, benefitting both the economy and nature, where both are currently stalled.

The Nature Restoration Fund (NRF) will offer an alternative way for developers to discharge existing environmental obligations related to protected sites and species, without reducing overall levels of environmental protection. The Bill sets out that the specific environmental obligations which may be in scope of Environmental Delivery Plans in future are only those stemming from the Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2017, the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, or the Protection of Badgers Act 1992.

The National Planning Policy Framework makes clear that development resulting in the loss or deterioration of irreplaceable habitats, which includes ancient woodland and ancient and veteran trees, as well as blanket bog and lowland fen (which are peatland habitats), should be refused, unless there are wholly exceptional reasons and a suitable compensation strategy exists. These protections will continue to apply.