MPs have accused the government of using nature as a scapegoat by getting rid of habitat protections in the Planning and Infrastructure Bill.\u00a0<\/p>\n
A report by the Environmental Audit Committee (EAC) warned that the government risks missing both its housing and nature targets.<\/p>\n
The report said: \u201cUsing nature as a scapegoat means that the government will be less effective at tackling some of the genuine challenges facing the planning system.\u201d<\/p>\n
It added: \u201cThe government must not veer down the path of viewing nature as an inconvenience or blocker to housebuilding,\u201d the report said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn most cases, housing delivery is delayed or challenged due to unclear and conflicting policies, land banking and skills shortages.\u201d<\/p>\n
Instead of focusing on nature, the EAC urged the government to focus on a skills shortage in ecology, planning and construction.<\/p>\n
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The committee said nature protections are necessary for building resilient neighbourhoods, adding that it makes sense to offer more incentives to build and live in carbon-friendly homes, as opposed to upgrading existing stock.<\/p>\n
Richard Broadbent, environmental lawyer at Freeths, said: \u201cAs anyone with even a moderate grasp on reality can see, both we and the communities we live in flourish most when we have access to both good quality development and thriving and functioning environments.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen we have the opportunity to, we move to places which do this well. We move away from places which do not.<\/p>\n
\u201cEngland\u2019s natural beauty is no accident. It is the result of centuries of thoughtful stewardship where communities have tried to create surroundings which are beautiful and in harmony with the landscapes which inspire and sustain us.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor example, the great Gothic cathedrals which sit at the heart of most of our cities are gifts from our ancestors showing us what architecture in harmony with nature, light, and spiritually alert communities looks like.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
MPs have accused the government of using nature as a scapegoat by getting rid of habitat protections in the Planning and Infrastructure Bill.\u00a0 A report by the Environmental Audit Committee (EAC) warned that the government risks missing both its housing and nature targets. The report said: \u201cUsing nature as a scapegoat means that the government […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5614,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5613","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-second-home"],"yoast_head":"\n