Putting nature first (finally)

Putting nature first (finally)

There’s a new buzz word on the lips of local planning authorities, conservationists and developers. Well, four words to be precise: Local Nature Recovery Strategies.

Devon supports an amazing diversity of landscapes that underpin every element of our lives, and it’s now (finally) being recognised that the health of our natural environment has deteriorated hugely in recent decades for a variety of reasons.

I recently heard all about the aims and objectives of these strategies, called LNRS for short, at a meeting for an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Local Nature Recovery Strategies are DEFRA’s latest approach to setting priorities for nature at a local level in England, and a new statutory requirement under the Environment Act 2021. Basically, they aim to stimulate discussion about wildlife and the natural environment to encourage action to stem further decline and, where possible, help nature to recover. So far, so good.

So, I asked, what do they mean in planning terms? How will they curb inappropriate development in Devon, and put the onus on developers to deliver the biodiversity net gains they so often promise in their planning applications (but, sadly, often don’t deliver on)?  The answer was less than encouraging. In fact, it sounded distinctly limp. I was told the strategies would ‘have regard’ in the planning system. Regard to what, one might ask? I wanted to hear that the LNRS would have weight and teeth in the planning system.  

It seems obvious to me that if we keep building on our green spaces then nature invariably pays the cost, and no strategy - however well intentioned - is going to help nature recover once it’s buried under feet of concrete.

Devon CPRE, and the national countryside charity we are affiliated to, is often accused of ‘nimbyism’ for caring about the visual impact of developments and the lack of proper infrastructure for large new housing developments. That’s not by any means the whole picture. One of the reasons Devon CPRE and our members have been concerned at the rapid development of so much of our countryside is because we are concerned about, you guessed, the impact on nature!

I don’t think it’s unfair to say that Central Government, local planning authorities and planning inspectors are locking the gate after the horse has bolted by now asking us all to prioritise Nature. It's what we've been saying for years!

Wind turbines are known to kill birds and bats, and we have long opposed the development of onshore wind farms in Devon. If Labour wins the next election, there’s concern that more wind farms will be permitted. How does this fit with nature recovery? Solar farms on agricultural land are another case in point. High fencing means wildlife can't move about easily, and the use of herbicides and pesticides to control weeds also impact soil quality. Every planning application that’s granted consent has some impact on Nature. The question is, when do we say enough is enough?

And on another note, Devon CPRE has campaigned for many years for the right type and number of new homes to be built in the right places at prices local people can afford.

In response to the announcements from PM Rishi Sunak and Housing Secretary Michael Gove, I must comment that while it’s heartening to hear Mr Sunak promise not to continue to ‘concrete over the countryside’ and that Mr Gove wants to make it easier to convert empty city centre premises into flats and houses, let’s not forget that a General Election is looming!

Our charity has long campaigned for the majority of new homes to be built on brownfield sites in urban areas and not on greenfield sites in open countryside. We have also consistently questioned the Government’s notional target of delivering 300,000 new homes a year.

Five years ago, Devon CPRE commissioned an independent report into local housing needs. It showed that the Government’s annual housebuilding target far exceeded what was actually needed in this part of the county. Four years ago, we invited the then housing minister to attend our seminar in Exeter to discuss the findings of the report. No one listened, and the Government carried on allowing developers to build the wrong type of houses in the wrong places, more often than not without local support.

With a General Election on the horizon, Rishi Sunak and Michael Gove have apparently seen the light! We believe actions speak louder than words. There have been decades of inaction as a merry-go-round of housing ministers has failed to deliver a sustainable long-term housing strategy. Let’s hope that this time around, they deliver on their promises.

To help us protect Devon’s countryside for future generations, go to www.devoncpre.org.uk