The bill aims to remove “unnecessary blockers” to new developments like roads, railway lines, windfarms, and houses as the government aims to deliver 1.5 million new homes by 2030.
This includes an overhaul of how projects can be challenged, with “meritless cases” only having one – rather than three – attempts at a legal challenge, while housebuilders will be able to pay into a Nature Restoration Fund to improve habitats on another site.
However, Dame Glenys Stacey, chair of the OEP, said the watchdog is concerned by several aspects of the bill which could undermine its potential to deliver intended “win-win outcomes”.
“There are fewer protections for nature written into the bill than under existing law,” she continued. “Creating new flexibility without sufficient legal safeguards could see environmental outcomes lessened over time.
“Aiming to improve environmental outcomes overall, whilst laudable, is not the same as maintaining in law high levels of protection for specific habitats and species.
“In our considered view, the bill would have the effect of reducing the level of environmental protection provided for by existing environmental law. As drafted, the provisions are a regression.”
The government believes its plans will deliver a major boost to the economy worth billions of pounds and create tens of thousands more jobs while making the UK a more attractive prospect for investors.
To ensure that environmental protections are not watered down, the OEP has recommended several amendments to the bill, such as ensuring that a mitigation hierarchy is applied to avoid or lessen negative impacts from new developments.
IEMA has also voiced its concerns with the current draft of the bill, explaining how the impact assessment regime must not be weakened.
“High-quality housing and infrastructure are both prerequisites for better living standards and outcomes,” said director of policy and public affairs Ben Goodwin.
“However, it is equally important that the planning reform needed to deliver the government's growth ambitions does not come at the expense of the natural environment.
“New housing and infrastructure must be delivered in sync with the natural environment, which is why the impact assessment regime in England should be protected and strengthened as part of the reforms."
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Chris Seekings is the Deputy Editor of IEMA’s Transform magazine, which is published biomonthly for IEMA members. Chris’s role involves writing sustainability-related news, features and interviews, as well as helping to plan and manage the magazine’s other day-to-day activities.