Asked by: Lord Teverson (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government when they will commence the operation of marine net gain.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
This Government is committed to nature recovery. Work is underway to develop options for the role marine net gain may play including consideration of timescales for operation of the policy.
Asked by: Lord Teverson (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what additional guidance to local planning authorities would be appropriate in order to ensure that exemptions to biodiversity net gain can be properly and confidently assessed.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
We will build the housing and infrastructure that Britain desperately needs while protecting the environment.
That is why we are working closely with the sector to make biodiversity net gain work effectively and proportionally, with exemptions in place for any development that would have no or minimal impact on nature.
The list of specified exemptions is narrow and focused and keeps the policy ambitious, while being proportionate and deliverable for developers and local planning authorities.
Officials are monitoring the implementation of biodiversity net gain closely, and regularly meet with those engaging with it across local planning authorities, developers, and the land management sector.
Biodiversity net gain fundamentally changes how developers choose land to build on and how they design sites, and we are pleased to see so many stakeholders embracing this opportunity to deliver much needed development and deliver for the environment.
Asked by: Lord Teverson (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government how they are monitoring the success and roll-out of biodiversity net gain policy; and whether they have plans to review the current system of exemptions.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
We will build the housing and infrastructure that Britain desperately needs while protecting the environment.
That is why we are working closely with the sector to make biodiversity net gain work effectively and proportionally, with exemptions in place for any development that would have no or minimal impact on nature.
The list of specified exemptions is narrow and focused and keeps the policy ambitious, while being proportionate and deliverable for developers and local planning authorities.
Officials are monitoring the implementation of biodiversity net gain closely, and regularly meet with those engaging with it across local planning authorities, developers, and the land management sector.
Biodiversity net gain fundamentally changes how developers choose land to build on and how they design sites, and we are pleased to see so many stakeholders embracing this opportunity to deliver much needed development and deliver for the environment.
Asked by: Lord Teverson (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what initial assessment they have made of the implementation of biodiversity net gain to date.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
We will build the housing and infrastructure that Britain desperately needs while protecting the environment.
That is why we are working closely with the sector to make biodiversity net gain work effectively and proportionally, with exemptions in place for any development that would have no or minimal impact on nature.
The list of specified exemptions is narrow and focused and keeps the policy ambitious, while being proportionate and deliverable for developers and local planning authorities.
Officials are monitoring the implementation of biodiversity net gain closely, and regularly meet with those engaging with it across local planning authorities, developers, and the land management sector.
Biodiversity net gain fundamentally changes how developers choose land to build on and how they design sites, and we are pleased to see so many stakeholders embracing this opportunity to deliver much needed development and deliver for the environment.
Asked by: Lord Teverson (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government which public body, or bodies, will be given the responsibility for the delivery of the Local Nature Recovery Strategies once they have been agreed.
Answered by Lord Benyon
Local Natural Recovery Strategies (LNRSs) will identify and map the best locations to create, enhance and restore nature and provide wider environmental benefits across the whole country. The Government has committed to funding LNRS preparation and recognises the need for them to have weight and meaning across a range of government policies to support and incentivise their delivery.
No one body can therefore be solely responsible for the delivery of LNRSs. Recovering nature will require public, private and voluntary sectors to work closely together to deliver the priorities identified in the strategies. All public bodies must have regard to LNRSs as part of their strengthened statutory duty to conserve and enhance biodiversity (attached).
The Government will publish guidance shortly on how planning authorities will have to have regard to and in time take account of LNRSs in their plans. LNRSs will help to target biodiversity net gain actions and as the strategies become available, the Government will continue to explore join-up between elements of Environmental Land Management schemes and LNRS, as committed to in the January 2024 Agricultural Transition Plan (attached).
We are in discussions with LNRS responsible authorities about their role in helping to coordinate activities in their areas.
Asked by: Lord Teverson (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they intend to review how the Marine Management Organisation engages and consults with local communities affected by near shore marine developments requiring the Marine Management Organisation’s consent.
Answered by Lord Benyon
The MMO regularly reviews its internal processes to ensure that they remain fit for purpose to allow local communities the chance to feedback on local developments that may affect them.
The MMO Chair is accountable to the Secretary of State and the MMO board holds the MMO’s Chief Executive to account on delivering, including how MMO engages and consults with local communities affected by near shore marine developments.
Asked by: Lord Teverson (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have for the future work and responsibilities of Local Nature Partnerships.
Answered by Lord Benyon
I would like to thank all of those involved in Local Nature Partnerships (LNPs) for their ongoing work to date; it is hugely valuable. I am pleased to note that LNPs are, in most areas, playing a key role in the development of Local Nature Recovery Strategies (LNRSs). It is also pleasing to see that some LNPs have formed, or reformed, for the purpose of contributing to the LNRS for their area (for example in Wiltshire).
This puts LNPs in a strong position to take an active role in delivery of the LNRSs when they are published. The Government is supportive of this and views partnership working as essential to their delivery, building on the momentum generated by responsible authorities in preparing LNRSs. The exact role of the LNP will vary from area to area, as LNPs are configured according to local circumstances.
LNPs have a track record of addressing other local concerns beyond the scope of the LNRS and I would encourage them to continue to do so.
Asked by: Lord Teverson (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) the frequency of use, and (2) effectiveness of, the Marine Management Organisation's ‘coastal concordat’ when planning decisions involve both local authorities and the Marine Management Organisation.
Answered by Lord Benyon
The Coastal Concordat sets out the key principles for coordinating the consenting process for coastal development in England. The Concordat approach offers benefits to applicants, signatories and regulators by reducing unnecessary regulatory duplication, streamlining assessments and increasing transparency and consistency of better explained and coordinated advice.
Defra and the MMO continue to encourage the adoption and use of the Coastal Concordat, including by local authorities who are not signatories. Defra periodically reviews and updates the list of local authorities who are signatories to the Concordat on Gov.UK.
Asked by: Lord Teverson (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government how they intend to integrate Local Nature Recovery Strategies with the marine environment beyond the low-water line so as to ensure an integrated approach to local nature recovery.
Answered by Lord Benyon
The Government has issued statutory guidance to the responsible authorities appointed to lead the preparation of a Local Nature Recovery Strategy for their area. This guidance states that coastal responsible authorities should consider how to factor in neighbouring marine areas and plans in their strategies. Linking Local Nature Recovery Strategies and marine spatial planning would help to identify land management changes that could benefit the estuarine or marine zone. For example, by improving the quality of water leaving river systems or managing coastal erosion risks.
Asked by: Lord Teverson (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to assess the impacts, whether positive or negative, on biodiversity and nature recovery of the establishment of seaweed farms in coastal waters.
Answered by Lord Benyon
The Marine Management Organisation assesses all licence applications for seaweed farms in its jurisdiction, including their potential impacts on the environment and other sea uses, on a case-by-case basis. More generally, research commissioned as part of Defra’s £37m marine Natural Capital and Ecosystem Assessment (mNCEA) programme includes considering the services provided by farmed and wild kelp and impacts on the environment and people.