As many of my constituents are aware, this Labour Government has announced plans that will allow building on the Green Belt, force rural England into housing targets of up to a 487 per cent increase and cut the Sustainable Farming Incentive (which incentivised farmers to protect the environment and grow local food). While I have already published a statement on the Planning and Infrastructure Bill which you can read here:
Mims Davies MP Statement on the Planning & Infrastructure Bill | Mims Davies
I have been asked to comment further on the serious concerns which have been raised by many constituents about the implications of the new Planning and Infrastructure Bill—particularly Part 3—with regard to environmental scrutiny and the protection of British wildlife. Constituents also have deep reservations about proposed provisions that would diminish the influence of local voices and local decisions especially as the natural environment in Sussex—including our ancient woodlands, hedgerows, and protected species—is already under enormous pressure. We also need to factor in the South-East of England is already recognised to be one of the most water-stressed areas in the UK, and we have 40% constraints on building in our area due to the South Downs National Park, Ashdown Forest and other Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Regarding development in Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty – we need to be absolutely clear these sites are an irreplaceable aspect of our natural environment and I believe they should be protected for decades to come.
The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) provides a framework for planning policies in England. The Government recently published updates to the framework, including a statement that ‘planning policies and decisions should contribute to and enhance the natural and local environment by… protecting and enhancing valued landscapes’ and giving ‘great weight’ to ‘conserving and enhancing landscape and scenic beauty in National Parks, the Broads and National Landscapes which have the highest status of protection in relation to these issues.’ This means areas legally designated as areas of outstanding natural beauty under the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949 and Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000.
Please know that, as your MP, I will do everything in my power to ensure these protections continue to be upheld.
I firmly believe protecting the natural environment is important across the country for the benefit of future generations. It is important the planning system respects the natural environment, and I will work to ensure that the Government’s planning reforms account for our nature and wildlife. The Government recently published its reforms to the planning system and I am deeply concerned that the Government is opting to sideline urban housing and prioritising building in rural areas, including the Green Belt. New targets, representing up to a 487 per cent increase for some rural areas, are being imposed on rural communities.
The Deputy Prime Minister, Angela Rayner MP, and her colleagues in the Government, stood on a manifesto promising to re-designate some green belt land as “grey belt”. I believe that this policy—presented as a few disused garage forecourts and wasteland in green belts—is a con. Work conducted by the independent Office for Budget Responsibility has shown that as many 500,000 homes could be built on the green belt as a result. I do not welcome this and, more widely, do not welcome this Government’s war on rural England. While I fully support the need to build more housing, it must be done in the right places, and with proper consultation and consent from the communities affected.
At Bill Committee, the Liberal Democrats did not support an amendment to the Planning and Infrastructure Bill that would have protected Green Belt land, and Labour Members voted against it. My colleague’s amendment would have protected our Green Belt and prioritised building in urban areas - this is something the Government clearly cannot be trusted to deliver on.
The Bill also introduces the nature restoration levy and environmental delivery plans, to be overseen by Natural England. I know many of my constituents are concerned about this and my colleagues in the Lords are aware of that concern. There are a number of environmental questions raised by the Bill’s provisions, and it is vital these are answered in full by the Government. Anyone who cares about our natural world knows that once a habitat is destroyed, such as a long-established woodland, no cheque can bring it back. Unfortunately, I have little confidence that the Government’s plans for Natural England can successfully mitigate the significant local environmental harms that will ensue through the environmental delivery plans. I believe that the Government must ensure plans are delivered locally, through local or strategic plans, by local people. We believe local communities understand their natural environments best, and it is essential their voices remain central to decisions affecting local nature and habitats so I am very concerned about the national scheme of delegation, proposed as part of their planning reforms, which will remove councillors’ right to vote on individual planning applications.
It is so important this Labour Government continues work to protect, rather than harm, the environment. The last Conservative government introduced the Environment Act in 2021 - a law to halt the decline in nature and protect the abundance of species and the UK was one of the first countries to pledge to protect 30 per cent of our land for nature by 2030. In 2023, the last Government also appointed 48 responsible authorities to lead on preparing a local nature recovery strategy for their area. These strategies are designed to recover through nature to recover through targeted, co-ordinated and collaborative action.
The rise in factory farming is also problematic for biodiversity, the environment and local, rural communities. Please know that, where this bill seeks to make a success of our national environmental duties, my colleagues and I will work to support them, but I am very concerned that policies pursued by this government, including the Family Farm Tax will mean that family farms must be sold and then may be bought by large farming corporations, further impacting negatively on local people, jobs and communities, our rural landscape as well as our rivers and streams, and of course, on animal welfare.
Through the Sustainable Farming Incentive, farmers were actively encouraged to maintain sustainable farming practices that benefit the environment and support food production, but this Government has taken the unexpected and unwelcome move to cancel the scheme. I call on them to provide certainty and clarify what impact this will have on the UK's ability to meet its environmental targets, including halting biodiversity loss by 2030. I am very aware of the incredible amount of work our farmers and land managers do, and have done for generations, to protect, conserve and sustain our wonderful countryside while producing the food we all need. We need to support farmers to protect wildlife, restore habitats and help tackle the climate crisis. Destroying local farming families and communities is not the way to protect the natural environment.
I have also been asked about chalk streams, which are our most biodiverse rivers and I agree it is vital they are protected from a variety of threats. This is why chalk streams were designated as high priority under the last Government’s Storm Overflow Discharge Reduction Plan. The Plan protected chalk streams from sewage pollution and introduced a target to see, by 2035, a reduction in harmful spills into these rivers by 75 per cent. I am severely disappointed that Labour MPs voted against an amendment brought forward by my colleagues to protect chalk streams from development.
Regarding wetlands, the UK is a member of the international Ramsar Convention on Wetlands. Across the UK, including the Crown Dependencies and Overseas Territories, the UK protects 175 internationally important Ramsar wetlands, which is more than any other country. I welcomed that the last Conservative Government allocated £10 million in funding between 2018 and 2021 to restore approximately 5,948 hectares of peatland and again, it is vital this Labour Government works to continue the protection of our wetlands.
Please be assured that I am firmly in favour of protecting the natural environment here in my constituency of East Grinstead and Uckfield, and across our country for the benefit of future generations. It is so important we work to conserve our rural heritage, our cherished landscapes, our green spaces and ancient woodlands and while we need to build, and I agree we do need more houses in our local towns and villages – we must build the right houses in the right places which will allow the next generation to start building their lives. I don’t believe concreting over the countryside when many young people want or, indeed, need to live in cities like London or Brighton for work, is the answer, creating more long commutes and extortionate travel costs, more unwanted dormitory developments, more pollution and more unconnected communities.
Looking to nature restoration, the last Government updated the Planning Practice Guidance to include Biodiversity Net Gain, a policy which ensures that all major developments are required to deliver a 10 per cent benefit for nature. It is important this Government’s Bill works to ensure that regulations are properly discharged, and local voices are heard. I will continue to scrutinise the Government's plans for animals and habitats in regard to planning, however I accept the Government must balance this with the need to streamline the planning process, which remains to be seen if this Bill will do due to their failure to repeal EU red tape.
It is now for my colleagues in the Lords to scrutinise the Bill further and work diligently to press the Government to make vital improvements and defend local voices.
