This post is based on an article I wrote for Conservation Planner, our twice-yearly newsletter for planners interested in nature conservation. You can see the new edition on-line here, but if you want to receive a regular paper copy, please contact us. I've updated the piece here in places where things have moved on.
Looking back over the last year, it seems that hardly a month goes by without a new national initiative on planning. Here are a few highlights – and lowlights – of the past twelve months and what they mean for conservation planning in England, plus a peek ahead to the rest of 2013.
The National Planning Policy Framework celebrates its first anniversary very soon. It was a vast improvement on the draft, and contains some positive policies for biodiversity. Now the onus lies with local planning authorities to update their local plans. Together with colleagues in other NGOs, we’ll be keeping a close eye on how local plans are delivering for wildlife and the countryside. I'll be posting again on this topic on the anniversary.
We welcomed Nick Boles as new government planning minister in autumn 2012, which saw a flurry of activity on planning. This included the Planning for Growth statement, the publication of the Growth and Infrastructure Bill, and a raft of consultations on everything from appeals procedures to telecommunications in National Parks. The RSPB has been advocating policies which will deliver the best environmental outcomes. We gave oral evidence on the Bill, responded to consultations and engaged in detailed discussions with civil servants. We also welcomed Secretary of State Eric Pickles to an afternoon’s birdwatching at our Wallasea reserve!
In November 2012, Wildlife and Countryside Link, of which the RSPB is a member, published the second Nature Check, assessing the Government’s progress on its commitment to be the greenest government ever. Although the planning section recognised significant improvement over the previous year, we did not give any “green” traffic light ratings. There’s still much to do in implementing positive nature conservation policies at local level.
I served in a personal capacity in a review of Government planning practice guidance under the chair of Lord Matthew Taylor. Our report was published in December. We identified priority areas for revised guidance, including climate change, flooding and environmental impact assessment.
Review of the Environmental Impact Assessment Directive is likely to occupy us for much of 2013. The European Commission has published proposals which address many of its current weaknesses, but the UK Government has already come out strongly in opposition.
It was a challenging year, and 2013 promises plenty to come, with planning guidance and EIA review among many issues keeping us busy.