Investment zones with “liberalised” planning laws to accelerate development could be designated within national parks and in the most environmentally protected areas of the UK, government documents reveal and reported in the Guardian.

Details of the government’s new zones to increase housebuilding and commercial development reveal councils can apply for zones in national parks, areas of outstanding natural beauty, (AONBs) sites of special scientific interest, (SSSIs) and green belt land. (Photo by Jonny Gios on Unsplash)

The deadline for councils to apply to host an investment zone is 14 October. The government says the zones “will benefit from tax incentives, planning liberalisation and wider support for the local economy” and will be granted after a “rapid” selection process.

Councils applying for the zones are asked: “For each proposed investment zone please provide details about whether the proposed development would be on land which is in:

• A national park.
• An area of outstanding natural beauty.
• A site of special scientific interest, or equivalent designation.
• The buffer zone of a world heritage site.
• Designated green belt.

The document states: “Key planning policies to ensure developments are well designed, maintain national policy on the green belt, protect our heritage and address flood risk, highway and other public safety matters along with building regulations will continue to apply.”

“Categorically won’t be happening”

It has been widely reported – such as in ENDSreport and BusinessGreen [paywalls] that the housing secretary, Simon Clarke MP,  has denied media reports that the government’s new investment zones could be created in national parks and other protected areas, saying that such a move “categorically won’t be happening”. , but campaign groups have flagged fresh concerns about emerging proposals for the new deregulatory areas.

Open letter to PM on environmental deregulation

Last week we reported on the widespread concerns of numerous organisations to the UK Government’s Growth Plan. These concerns have crystalised and the Wildlife and Countryside Link have coordinated 79 organisations to write an open letter to the Prime Minister urging her to change the Government’s trajectory on environmental deregulation.

An extract from the open letter is below:

Together, The Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Bill and Planning and Infrastructure Bill proposals to weaken planning protection could put paid to the chances of meeting legally-binding climate and nature targets, create uncertainty for vulnerable businesses, shatter the long-term sustainability of our economy, and unleash environmental losses that could reduce quality of life for millions of people. Coupled with a potential rowing back on the Agricultural Transition, they also mark a radical departure from the manifesto commitment to “the most ambitious environmental programme on Earth” under which the Conservative government was elected. 

The removal of regulations and the review of other environmental policies, without a clear plan for what will replace them, is extremely disruptive to businesses and communities and could not come at a worse time. Laws like the Habitats Regulations are not some useless legacy of European law—they are among our most effective conservation laws. Changing the rules would create years of delay and uncertainty at a time when stability and environmental action are needed most. Any sense that costs would be saved is an illusion. The costs of environmental damage would be multiplied and simply shifted to the communities who suffer the consequences.

The full text of the open letter can be read here.