I am calling on the Government to remember its commitment to deliver infrastructure alongside nature recovery and uphold legal protections for wildlife.
The Nuclear Regulatory Review’s proposals to weaken the Habitat Regulations constitute a sledgehammer to crack a nut, and would unnecessarily undermine legal protections for our most important wildlife sites.
The Habitat Regulations have previously been applied successfully alongside speedy infrastructure delivery, before cuts to regulatory and planning bodies. These issues could be swiftly resolved by improved guidance and by increasing ecological skills and capacity in the planning system
I have signed a parliamentary motion, Early Day Motion 2435, which says:
“That this House recognises that the public overwhelmingly values nature, and expresses concern that recommendations 11 and 12 of the Nuclear Regulatory Review propose a weakening of the Habitats Regulations; believes that this would constitute a sledgehammer to crack a nut; notes that the Habitats Regulations applied in full during periods of speedy infrastructure delivery before the austerity of the last Government; further notes that reported recent Habitats Regulations issues affecting nuclear projects can be traced back to cuts to regulators and planning bodies and to project and political decisions; highlights that these issues could be swiftly resolved by improved guidance and by increasing ecological skills and capacity in the planning system; warns that the Review proposal to instead weaken the Habitats Regulations would unnecessarily undermine legal protections for our most important sites for wildlife at a time of accelerating nature decline and take longer than non-legislative action; and urges the Government to remember its welcome commitment to deliver infrastructure alongside nature recovery.”