Environmental regulations inquiry: Natural England to give evidence
On Tuesday 20 June the House of Lords Built Environment Committee hears evidence from Natural England on its inquiry on the impact of environmental regulations on development.
Meeting details
At 2:15pm: Oral evidence
Inquiry
The impact of environmental regulations on development
Deputy Chief Executive at Natural England
Chair at Natural England
Possible questions
- How far is Natural England primarily a regulatory body versus a problem-solving body with regards to ensuring good development in line with the country’s environmental ambitions?
- Natural England’s advice on housing and nutrient neutrality stems directly from the judgment in the ‘Dutch-N Case’ (2018). This related to farming and agricultural practice and did not mention housing; how and why did you decide to apply it to only development of overnight accommodation?
- What is the process for Natural England to contribute to policy development at DEFRA and DLUHC?
- Over 60% of SSSIs are not in a favourable condition and development may be halted because of potential additional damage it may cause to the SSSI. Why has Natural England allowed so many SSSIs to fall out of a favourable condition?
- We have heard that environmental regulations are bolted on to the planning system in a piece meal way. Do you think that this is accurate and is the current approach to environmental regulation in planning working effectively?