I mentioned on 21 January how surprising it is that England is the only country in the UK that doesn’t have any kind of strategic, spatial plan, and promised that we would shortly publish our own report on what a Natural Planning Framework for England should look like.
Well, you can find the full text of A Natural Planning Framework: Putting the Natural Environment at the Heart of the National Planning Framework for England here.
Last week, our Chief Executive Mike Clarke unveiled the report at a seminar with a group of senior civil servants, planning stakeholders and other NGOs. We had a lively debate about the National Planning Framework (or, as the Government calls it, the National Planning Policy Framework) with report authors Ric Eales and Bill Sheate of Collingwood Environmental Planning in the hot seat.
The report will form a key part of the RSPB’s response to the Government’s request for suggestions on the priorities and policies for the NPPF.
The authors looked at a number of international examples of national planning frameworks, talked to experts and reviewed the literature. It makes a number of recommendations, from which the RSPB has identified the key elements of a successful NPPF:
· Spatial, but not site specific. This would allow recognition of the key components of England’s ecological network, and prioritisation of landscape-scale areas for restoration.
· Built on a robust reaffirmation of sustainable development. This must recognise environmental limits, steered by the precautionary principle where necessary.
· Developed through debate and participation. The process underpinning the NPPF must be transparent and participative, with provision for regular review.
· Protect and enhance the natural environment. The NPPF must provide adequate policy protection to the natural environment, and strongly encourage local authorities to work with others to identify key components of their local ecological network.
· Informed by Strategic Environmental Assessment. This would facilitate the consideration of different spatial options or scenarios and stakeholder participation in strategic dialogue.
· A statutory basis in the Localism Bill. This would help to clarify its relationship with other plans and policies, particularly with national policy statements.
Let us know what you think.