Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Planning and Infrastructure Bill, whether funds raised through the Nature Restoration Fund must be allocated to Environmental Delivery Plans (a) in the same local authority as the development or (b) within any specified geographical proximity to the development.

Each Environmental Delivery Plan (EDP) will address one or more specified environmental features, which will be either a protected species, or a protected aspect of a protected site.

Under an EDP, Natural England will be required to deliver conservation measures that contribute to an overall improvement to the environmental feature(s) specified.

When delivering conservation measures through an EDP, Natural England will look to deliver these in the area where development is taking place.

The Bill allows for those circumstances where it may be appropriate to deliver conservation measures aimed at the same environmental feature but at another site outside of where the development is taking place. For example, if Natural England deem that this may deliver a better outcome for a protected species to create new habitats or enhance existing habitats further afield.