There has been a lot in the news about planning and development recently with the government pledging to build 1.5 million homes over the next five years, expand airports and aiming to curb the influence of ‘Nimbys’ and ‘blockers’. Within our area the housing numbers targeted by government are doubling in the Dorset Council area, whilst in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole there is a significant uplift on the existing target.
Whilst we are not against development in the right place and appreciate the need for new housing and economic development, this must not be delivered at the expense of the natural environment. Dorset Wildlife Trust had already raised concerns about whether the original targets could be met alongside our local Councils’ ambitions to address the climate and nature emergencies, let alone the new, higher targets. The current planning system does not consistently ensure the protection of wildlife from the impacts of development, and despite the introduction of ‘biodiversity net gain’ last year, there is a long way to go before it contributes to nature’s recovery as it should do.
Reform of the system is not unwelcome, but we must only support changes if we are fully confident that they will deliver better outcomes for nature. It is hugely disappointing to see the recent rhetoric that has pitched newts, bats and local people as the problems stopping development. There are multiple factors affecting how quickly a proposal gets from application to completion, not least market conditions and capacity of planning departments. There is often a significant delay between permission being granted and development actually happening-it is estimated that there are more than 1 million live planning permissions for dwellings that have not been started.
There is no reason to create a false narrative pitting nature against housing. It is perfectly possible to design development which avoids harm. Wildlife does though need the right safeguards and local people must be able to raise valid concerns. One of these safeguards is nutrient neutrality, which has become a bit of a political football – in some headlines it is said to be blocking development, in others to be ‘unlocking’ it. In fact, it ensures that one element of the environmental impact of house building can be mitigated.
Systems that ensure nutrient neutrality, such as those which enabled Dorset Wildlife Trust to purchase Wild Woodbury and Lyscombe for nature restoration, mean that development can be permitted if it also passes all other planning tests including environmental requirements which local councils need to be fully considering as well. The first test should be to avoid harm and not to allow poorly located or badly designed development to go ahead.
