The government's impact assessment of a new planning bill reveals insufficient evidence to support claims that environmental protections delay housing and infrastructure projects. The legislation proposes a nature recovery fund that allows developers to bypass local environmental obligations by contributing to projects elsewhere, raising concerns about diminishing local nature access. Experts argue this fund may threaten ecosystems while lacking economic benefits. The Office for Environmental Protection has highlighted potential risks to protected sites under the bill, undermining the governmentâs rationale for the new legislation, thus demanding further consultation before proceeding.
The government has admitted that there is very little evidence to support the claim that environmental protections hinder development.
Critics argue that the proposed nature recovery fund could effectively become a 'licence to kill nature', jeopardizing protected sites.
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