Cross Party Letter re Nature Protection
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Dear Angela,
We are writing in response to the Government’s recent impact assessment of the Planning and Infrastructure Bill, which finds that there is almost no evidence that existing environmental protections have significantly impeded development. This directly undermines the core justification Ministers have used to weaken safeguards for nature— namely, that they hinder house building and infrastructure delivery.
The publication of this impact assessment confirms what many of us across parties have long argued: the notion that nature and development are in fundamental conflict is reductive, misleading, and unhelpful.
The framing of housing versus nature is a false choice, and one that distracts from the pressing issues we must address to achieve sustainable and affordable development. We believe it is not only possible but essential to deliver the affordable homes and national infrastructure people need in a way that works with nature, not against it. Our planning system should support thriving ecosystems, climate resilience, and access to green space—not treat them as secondary concerns to be compromised.
The Government’s own analysis makes it clear that the current version of the Planning and Infrastructure Bill fails to meet this test. This concern is echoed by the Office for Environmental Protection, whose legal opinion warns that the Bill in its current form would remove critical safeguards for nature and put protected sites at risk.
Together, these assessments highlight the danger of entrenching short-term thinking at the expense of long-term social, environmental, and economic resilience. Those dangers are particularly apparent this spring—confirmed by the Environment Agency as the driest start to the season since 1956—with rivers running dry and farmers expressing concern about how they will keep crops watered. We cannot afford to ride roughshod over the increasingly fragile natural world we all depend on.
We urge you to champion a more constructive approach—one that aligns ambition for house building and infrastructure with a genuine commitment to nature protection. In this Bill, you have a powerful opportunity to set a different direction and show that strong environmental standards are not a barrier to progress, but a foundation for it.
We would welcome the chance to meet and discuss how we might work across parties to secure a planning system that delivers for both people and nature.
Dear Angela,
We are writing in response to the Government’s recent impact assessment of the Planning and Infrastructure Bill, which finds that there is almost no evidence that existing environmental protections have significantly impeded development. This directly undermines the core justification Ministers have used to weaken safeguards for nature— namely, that they hinder house building and infrastructure delivery.
The publication of this impact assessment confirms what many of us across parties have long argued: the notion that nature and development are in fundamental conflict is reductive, misleading, and unhelpful.
The framing of housing versus nature is a false choice, and one that distracts from the pressing issues we must address to achieve sustainable and affordable development. We believe it is not only possible but essential to deliver the affordable homes and national infrastructure people need in a way that works with nature, not against it. Our planning system should support thriving ecosystems, climate resilience, and access to green space—not treat them as secondary concerns to be compromised.
The Government’s own analysis makes it clear that the current version of the Planning and Infrastructure Bill fails to meet this test. This concern is echoed by the Office for Environmental Protection, whose legal opinion warns that the Bill in its current form would remove critical safeguards for nature and put protected sites at risk.
Together, these assessments highlight the danger of entrenching short-term thinking at the expense of long-term social, environmental, and economic resilience. Those dangers are particularly apparent this spring—confirmed by the Environment Agency as the driest start to the season since 1956—with rivers running dry and farmers expressing concern about how they will keep crops watered. We cannot afford to ride roughshod over the increasingly fragile natural world we all depend on.
We urge you to champion a more constructive approach—one that aligns ambition for house building and infrastructure with a genuine commitment to nature protection. In this Bill, you have a powerful opportunity to set a different direction and show that strong environmental standards are not a barrier to progress, but a foundation for it.
We would welcome the chance to meet and discuss how we might work across parties to secure a planning system that delivers for both people and nature.
Adrian Ramsay MP co-signed this cross-party letter initiated by Dr Ellie Chowns MP.
