With the votes counted and a new UK Government announced, The Wildlife Trusts reflected on Friday of last week that – based on the election campaign activity – we are likely to see rapid action to amend planning rules to deliver new homes (read our blog here).
At The Wildlife Trusts we recognise that development is needed to address the housing crisis, but there is no point seeking to solve this without also addressing the nature crisis. Studies show damage to the environment is slowing UK growth, undermining prosperity1, and could lead to an estimated 12% reduction in GDP2.
With the right approach, the planning system can help us to address the nature and climate crises, as well as getting Britain building. But first, what are the housing targets? Where does the Green Belt come in? And what should be on the UK Government’s list for improving England’s planning system?
Measuring success
The number of new homes built is a key measure of success in the planning system. In their manifesto, Labour committed to creating 1.5 million homes over the course of the next Parliament; on average this means building 300,000 homes per year (a similar target to that of the previous government).
But the number of homes being built overall shouldn’t be the only figure used to measure success.
Affordable homes – in particular social housing3 - makes up a significant proportion of the housing needs across England, and therefore should be the focus point for delivery. New housing also needs to be energy and water efficient; well connected to public transport; provide access to green and blue infrastructure; and deliver Biodiversity Net Gain (a requirement on developers to deliver more for nature than they are taking away – read more here). The planning system must be improved to deliver all this – and the metrics measuring success, to capture these points. Only by doing this can new housing help tackle the nature and climate crises and support the health and well-being of communities.
The role of strategic planning
To deliver new homes, Labour has also committed to reviewing the Green Belt and allow development on ‘Grey Belt’.
Green Belts are areas of land that have been protected from development to stop the expansion of towns and cities, protect the character of areas near them and promote urban regeneration. While there are nature sites in the Green Belt, Green Belts are not protected for nature. With investment, Green Belt provides an opportunity to contribute to nature’s recovery and improve access to nature for the urban areas it surrounds.
Any land released from the Green Belt should be done via strategic planning and retain and improve green infrastructure, creating high quality, nature-rich developments. So called Grey Belt – brownfield land or scrubby habitats in the Green Belt - should only be released for development where they are not of high environmental value.
The ‘to-do list’
Ultimately, the UK Government needs a Land Use Framework that strategically sets out how land is used across the nation to help them meet their legally binding targets and international commitments on climate change and nature recovery, whilst ensuring that society has the food, housing, business, transport, energy and water it needs. Tackling the climate, nature, health and housing crises means thinking ahead about how land is used. We cannot afford to solve one crisis at the expense of another.
To build 1.5 million new homes in a nature and climate-friendly way, The Wildlife Trusts recommend the UK Government:
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Protect key habitats – and the rules that support their protection: Nature is essential – for food, for health and for climate. Planning rules – including the Habitats Regulations – provide essential protections for these sites and must be retained and strengthened. At present Local Wildlife Sites have no specific protections in planning, despite often having the same wildlife value as many of our legally protected sites; this should be addressed by amending the National Planning Policy Framework.
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Make space for nature: To meet international commitments and legally binding targets, a new designation – Wildbelt – should be introduced to protect sites where nature is in recovery. The planning system should also help deliver new Local Nature Recovery Strategies.
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Integrate nature into the design of new developments: be it through hedgehog highways, tree-lined streets or swift bricks, and providing wildlife-rich, accessible green space – integration is essential to support the health and well-being of people. All new development should deliver a third green cover and ensure everyone is a 15-minute walk, wheel or cycle from a green space.
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Ensure successful Biodiversity Net Gain: by raising the ambition on the percentage gain development should seek to achieve (currently at 10%) and ensure ALL developments deliver Biodiversity Net Gain. By expanding a mandatory approach to nationally significant infrastructure projects and increasing the minimum percentage of gain that needs to be achieved, developments will be incentivised to protect nature first and contribute more for nature.
Finally, it’s impossible to talk about planning without recognising the need for well-resourced local planning authorities and statutory nature conservation bodies (including Natural England). Ensuring we can bring ecological expertise and monitor and enforce decisions, are all important to securing the best outcomes for nature, climate and communities.
We know we need to act, and quickly. The early decisions made by the new UK Government will set the tone for changes to come. By ensuring nature is protected and given the opportunity to recover through the planning system, Government can ensure the planning system delivers for nature and for communities.