Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of Part 3 of the Planning and Infrastructure Bill on protected nature sites located within England’s National Parks.

When it comes to development and the environment, we know we can do better than the status quo, which too often sees both sustainable housebuilding and nature recovery stall. Instead of environmental protections being seen as barriers to growth, we want to unlock a win-win for the economy and for nature. Part 3 of the Planning and Infrastructure Bill introduces a new Nature Restoration Fund that will unlock and accelerate development while going beyond neutrality to unlock the positive impact development can have in driving nature recovery.

Environmental Delivery Plans (EDPs), as proposed in Part 3 of the Bill, will address any potential negative effects of development on protected sites and species, whether located in National Parks, National Landscapes or elsewhere.

EDPs can only be put in place where the Secretary of State is satisfied the delivery of conservation measures are likely to outweigh the negative effects of development. Where this is not the case, existing environmental obligations, including those arising under the Habitats Regulations, will remain in place.  In addition, EDPs and the conservation measures they propose must be evidence-based and properly scrutinised before being put in place. EDPs may include back-up measures that can be deployed if monitoring shows the environmental outcomes are not being achieved.

Policy safeguards relating to the protection of National Parks and National Landscapes, including those set out in the National Planning Policy Framework and relevant National Policy Statements, remain in place.