Asked by: Earl Cathcart (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government why Natural England have continued to block development for new homes since March 2022 in over 70 local planning authority areas.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Natural England’s role is to conserve and enhance the natural environment. This includes providing statutory advice on the impacts of plans and projects on protected sites based on the best available evidence. Natural England cannot block development but competent authorities, such as Local Planning Authorities (LPAs), must have regard to Natural England’s advice and act in accordance with applicable legislation and case law.
Nutrient pollution is an urgent problem affecting a wide range of habitats and species. Due to the excess levels of nutrients affecting many protected freshwater habitats and estuaries, Natural England has been required to advise 74 LPAs in England that new development cannot result in additional nutrient pollution. One way this can be done is through nutrient neutrality, by which developers secure mitigation for any additional nutrient pollution they are responsible for within the catchment.
The Government is committed to delivering housing in affected areas and are supporting local authorities and developers to identify suitable mitigation. There are several ways in which LPAs can satisfy themselves that planning permission can be granted.
The first credits from Natural England’s Nutrient Mitigation Scheme have now been sold in the Tees & Cleveland catchments. More credits will be available in the Tees this year and work is underway to identify suitable projects in other catchments. Several catchments also have successful mitigation schemes operated by local authorities or private organisations. A Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Call for Evidence and Expressions of Interest for funding for local nutrient mitigation schemes closed recently, and funding decisions will be made as soon as possible.
Asked by: Earl Cathcart (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to creating a plan for both (1) new, and (2) existing, forests, and all tree species, that enables the UK forestry industry to (a) measure, and (b) value, carbon for owners, in order to (i) enhance and develop management of existing forestry, and (ii) encourage and incentivise the planting of new trees; and what assessment they have made of whether this could reduce the need for state support in the form of planting grants.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government recognises the need to unlock more private sector investment as set out in the 25 Year Environment Plan and HMG Green Finance Strategy. We have committed to raising at least £500 million in private finance every year by 2027 to support nature recovery in England, which will finance projects including woodland creation. The Government also supports the use of blended finance models to mobilise private investment alongside Government grants. This month, the Government launched the Big Nature Impact Fund which blends Defra grants with private investment finance for nature-based projects selling ecosystem services, including woodland creation and peatland restoration.
The Government supported the development of the Woodland Carbon Code, launched in 2011, to create a mechanism to allow landowners to sell woodland carbon. A total of 1,640 projects were registered under the Woodland Carbon Code across the UK by the end of June 2022, covering around 61 thousand hectares of woodland and projected to sequester 19.3 million tonnes of carbon dioxide over their lifetime. The Code provides a project and carbon registry, as well as carbon projection tools and protocols for measuring carbon in all types of woodland.
In March 2022, the UK Emissions Trading Scheme Authority published a call for evidence on the role of the UK Emissions Trading Scheme as a potential long-term market for both engineered and nature-based greenhouse gas removals. The call for evidence included questions regarding what impacts or opportunities this might present for the Woodland Carbon Code. The UK Emissions Trading Scheme Authority will publish a response in due course.
Asked by: Earl Cathcart (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the finding in the Forestry Commission report Sustainable construction timber: sourcing and specifying local timber, published in 2016, that “timber-framed construction currently accounts for 75 per cent of new housing in Scotland, while the comparable figure for the UK as a whole is 25 per cent”; and what steps they intend to take in response.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
No such assessment has been made.
The Net Zero Strategy and England Trees Action Plan committed to increase the use of timber in construction, and we encourage the use of timber in construction when safe to do so, as it can reduce the embodied carbon of a building. In the England Trees Action Plan, we committed to supporting timber in construction by providing up to £1.5m of support to develop innovative timber products through the Forestry Innovation Fund. We are also working to increase public demand for sustainably sourced domestic timber through timber procurement policies and encouraging research into barriers to uptake of timber, including looking at timber strength grades and the fire resistance of engineered timber structures.
Asked by: Earl Cathcart (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government why Natural England has imposed up to a one year moratorium on developments for over 40 councils in England.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government has not imposed a moratorium on development. Further information regarding nutrient pollution impacts on protected sites and nutrient neutrality can be found at : https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/nutrient-pollution-reducing-the-impact-on-protected-sites/nutrient-pollution-reducing-the-impact-on-protected-sites (and attached to this answer).
Asked by: Earl Cathcart (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government when they expect Natural England will provide a solution to foul water and nutrient neutrality issues which will permit developments in affected areas to proceed.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government set out an initial package of measures to address nutrient pollution impacting protected sites in March: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/nutrient-pollution-reducing-the-impact-on-protected-sites/nutrient-pollution-reducing-the-impact-on-protected-sites (and attached to this answer).
We are clear that nutrient neutrality can only be an interim solution whilst we return our protected sites to favourable condition. We are in close contact with impacted local planning authorities and developers, working closely with DLUHC, and will consider next steps shortly.