Since the hoo-ha over the Government’s new planning policy, there seems to be a new level of interest in how the planning system can deliver for nature.
Now that Government has put in place much of the national framework, to general applause, the spotlight turns to England’s 354 local planning authorities, who have the day-to-day business of making plans and deciding planning applications.
We saw that interest last week in the report of the Independent Panel on Forestry, which made a number of recommendations for planners, such as this one: Planning policy and practice should encourage local authorities to take professional forestry and aboricultural management advice where planning applications affect trees and woodlands.
Woodland creation and tree planting will often be part of wider green infrastructure schemes. New advice to planning practitioners was launched on Monday in Good practice guidance for green infrastructure and biodiversity. Published by our colleagues at the Town and Country Planning Association and the Wildlife Trusts, but with significant input from the RSPB and 60-plus organisations and individuals, this advice should help planners working for developers and local authorities to play their part for nature.
The very same day a group of MPs in the All Party Parliamentary Group for Biodiversity published a report on Planning and the Natural Environment which made a number of helpful recommendations. Unfortunately I can’t find an online version, but they highlighted the need for local authorities to have access to competent ecological advice and expertise, and called for ‘Biodiversity Champions’ in planning departments and among elected members, to ensure nature policies are properly implemented.
Is there a theme emerging here?
It’s not that long ago since the Policy Exchange think-tank concluded in its report Nurturing Nature that we are failing to properly value the services provided by a robust and connected natural environment. PEx found that only 37% of all local authorities had in-house ecologists, very close to the figure of 35% from the Association of Local Government Ecologists. Having an ecologist was closely linked to whether a local authority had run a biodiversity offsetting scheme.
On Wednesday, Defra quietly published a report on the effectiveness of planning policy in protecting biodiversity. It’s a fascinating piece of work that undertakes a robust audit of the end-to-end decision making process in a representative sample of English planning authorities.
It shows what most of us long suspected; that the appropriate policies were largely in place (at a national level, at least), but that local authorities often failed in their duty to implement them. Statistics always need careful interpretation, but in 8% of major applications studied, biodiversity was overlooked or insufficiently addressed. Furthermore, it was the positive policies relating to environmental enhancement that were most frequently ignored.
The report suggests that culture and capacity (again!) were the two main barriers to successful implementation. Even where biodiversity was considered, it was rarely afforded much weight in decision making, unless it affected sites or species with legal protection. Access to ecological expertise is another crucial factor. Where such expertise was available, the study reported ‘good’ outcomes for biodiversity in 72% of applications, as opposed to just 33% in its absence.
The report also highlights the critical role of Natural England as ecological experts. Although this is no substitute for in-house expertise, local authorities rely heavily on Natural England’s advice and guidance when dealing with biodiversity issues. This must be at the forefront of Defra’s thinking when it undertakes the forthcoming review of their statutory agencies.
The Nationl Planning Policy Framework provides an excellent planning framework for the natural environment, above and beyond what was there before. But even with the best policy and guidance, you need willing, skilled people to deliver for nature. That is why we need a culture that values biodiversity within local government, enough local authority ecologists, and a statutory nature body that is fit for purpose.