Image description: Woodland and bluebells. Image by Charles Miller / Pexels.

Irreplaceable habitats threatened by Planning Bill 

Part Three of Labours’ Planning and Infrastructure Bill has been highly contentious since its introduction, with the UK’s leading nature organisations labelled it “a license to kill” and calling for it to be completely scrapped after the government rejected their proposed amendments that would tone down what they consider the most damaging aspects of the Bill, whilst also suggesting measures to improve it. These have been rejected by the Government, despite its own watchdog, the Office for Environmental Protection, saying that the Bill will cause environmental regression.

In fact, the Guardian revealed that three separate legal opinions, including the OEP’s, say the bill rolls back environmental protections, and produced a list of Nature Reserves and internationally important natural sites that could be lost as a result of cuts to habitat protections. They reported more than 5,000 of the rarest and most precious natural habitats in England are at risk of being destroyed under Labour’s new planning bill, according to legal analysis of the legislation.

Labour MPs poised to rebel

The Guardian has also reported that Labour MPs are planning to rebel over the planning and infrastructure bill after constituents raised concern that it threatens protected habitats and wildlife.

Apparently two dozen Labour MPs are calling for ministers to force developers to build more than a million homes for which they already have planning permission before pushing through legislation that rolls back environmental protections for the most protected habitats in England.

In response, the Guardian says Ministers are understood to be drawing up amendments to part three of the bill to stave off a rebellion and placate the anger of respected wildlife groups, whose membership is many millions strong.

Alexa Culver, an environmental lawyer with RSK Wilding, said ministers were expected soon to present “appeasement” amendments on part three so they could claim the legislation was not regressive. Wildlife charities are calling on the government to scrap part three and redraw the bill when it returns to parliament on Monday. The rebel backbenchers are now working with the Green party and the Liberal Democrats to form a large group that hopes to torpedo part three of the bill when the legislation comes to parliament next week.