Planning and Infrastructure Bill

Debate between Baroness Taylor of Stevenage and Lord Bishop of Norwich

Consideration of Commons amendments and / or reasons
Monday 24th November 2025 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Taylor of Stevenage (Lab)]

I have not made an approach to these organisations, so I do not want to commit them to doing this, but if the Environmental Audit Committee or the Office for Environmental Protection wanted to get involved in the scrutiny of EDPs, we would be very happy to facilitate that.

[The Lord Bishop of Norwich]

My Lords, I thank all who have contributed to this debate and in particular the Minister, for her customary care in the answers she has given us.

What we agree on, across all sides of this House, is that chalk streams are precious, irreplaceable habitats that are gravely endangered. I am grateful to the noble Lord, Lord Roborough, for giving a sense that he would like to continue to press this in other ways. My view remains that we need clear legal protections for chalk streams and other irreplaceable habitats so that developers and planners know where they stand and the public can be reassured that protections will not easily be wiped out overnight. With this in mind, I seek to test the will of the House.