Queen's speech: Environment

ePolitix.com Stakeholders comment on the environment proposals set out in the Queen's speech.

Stakeholder response: CPRE

To send a comment to the CPRE clickhere

Ben Stafford, head of campaigns at CPRE, said: "This Queen's speech is a lot of Brown and not much green. Some measures, such as the Climate Change Bill, are welcome, but others suggest that protection of the environment is slipping rapidly down the government's "to do" list.

"The Planning Reform Bill looks like being a developer's charter – a dismantling rather than an evolution of the planning system introduced by the 1945 Labour government. 

"Ministers must listen to the concerns of the public who responded to their planning reform consultation in the summer. They should scrap plans that will reduce the public's say on major development and be damaging to the environment.

"In relation to the Housing and Regeneration Bill, policy needs to be driven by quality design, affordability and location.

"The new Homes and Communities Agency must meet these objectives, and resist greenfield sprawl – there also need to be appropriate checks and balances on its sweeping powers. 

"The agency should be a vehicle for delivering the right housing in the right place, not a sausage-machine churning out new housing regardless of need and local concerns."

 

Stakeholder Response: Woodland Trust

To send a comment to the Woodland Trust clickhere

James Cooper of the Woodland Trust said: "We welcome the Climate Change Bill and with it the first legislative framework for tackling climate change.

"This is truly a step forward. We would however have liked to see a commitment to a carbon dioxide reduction target of 80 per cent by 2050 and will be joining others in pressing for this to be amended. 

"It is increasingly clear that this will be essential if the UK is to play its part in keeping global average temperature rises within two degrees celsius. 

"It is also disappointing to note the failure to include emissions from the aviation and shipping industries.

"The Trust welcomes the government’s acknowledgment last week of the need to address the low priority given in the draft Bill to climate change adaptation.

"It is vital that we enable the natural world upon which we depend for the delivery of a whole range of ecosystem services to adapt to the threat posed by climate change and that we do not neglect this aspect of the debate.

"We look forward to helping strengthen this component, which will be essential to the achievement of sustainable development in the UK over the coming years.

"Worryingly, there appears to be a serious disconnect between what government is saying on climate change and how it is approaching planning reform. 

"We are opposed to the transferral of major infrastructure decisions to an unelected body, and believe that this will reduce community engagement in the planning system.

"Unfortunately the planning white paper which will be taken forward by a Planning Reform Bill appears informed by a narrowly economic view of what the planning system is there to do.

"It offers little guarantee that the natural environment - which is so central to the quality of life in this country and is already facing the challenge of climate change -  will be protected from unsustainable development such as further airport expansion.

"We would like to see the Planning Reform Bill ensure that a sustainable development duty is placed upon the proposed Infrastructure Planning Commission and, if we are to embark upon the model proposed by the Planning White Paper of National Policy Statements setting out priorities for infrastructure,  then there also needs to be a National Policy Statement setting out priorities  for the natural environment

"Due to the pre-eminence given to ambitious housing targets, we are cautious in our welcome of the reassurance that new building will be concentrated upon brownfield land. 

"The Trust hopes that the Housing and Regeneration Bill will demonstrate an integrated approach which embraces the environmental as well as economic and social strands of sustainable development.

"This also means recognising the central importance of biodiverse green spaces to the quality of life of any new settlements.

"In particular, if the government is genuine in its desire to build ‘cleaner, safer and greener’ communities then firm guidance will be needed to ensure that housing is not built upon biodiverse and historically important land."