Speeches by Chowns.

“I have a genuine question and concern. Under the Bill, Natural England has responsibility, as advisers, preparers, developers and deliverers, to implement the EDPs, and it is also judge and jury on the effectiveness of EDPs and whether they are doing the job that they are intended to do. That is a lot of functions to g…”

“It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship again, Mrs Hobhouse. The amendment relates to the mitigation hierarchy. As previously, I refer to the advice from the Office for Environmental Protection, which called particular attention to the weakening of the mitigation hierarchy in the wording of the Bill. The OEP adv…”

“I have two points. The Minister has claimed that the Bill maintains the mitigation hierarchy. Can he point to where that is stated in the Bill? I cannot see it; I have just checked back on clause 53, which deals with the preparation of EDPs, but it is not specified. Where is it specified in the Bill that it maintains t…”

“I rise to speak to amendment 3, a crucial amendment relating to timing. The current wording in clause 52 opens the door to conservation measures in EDPs coming long after the environmental features that they relate to having been damaged. Such a delay could be fatal to some habitats and species that have already suffer…”

“I thank the Minister, but just observe that if we can simply trust Natural England to consult anybody that it thinks relevant, there is no need for any list in clause 54(1). We could just keep paragraph (h), which refers to “any other public authority Natural England considers should be consulted”. The fact that there …”

“I will not repeat the points I made in my previous speech, which were effectively about the same substance. However, it seems an oversight that the Climate Change Committee and the Office for Environmental Protection are not named in the long list of organisations to be consulted on an EDP. I gently ask the Minister to…”

“I beg to move amendment 53, in clause 54, page 87, line 13, at end insert— “(fa) the Climate Change Committee, (fb) the Office for Environmental Protection,” This amendment would add the Climate Change Committee and the Office for Environmental Protection to the list of parties who must be consulted on a draft EDP by N…”

“I take the Minister’s points, but if these things are included, why not just put them on the face of the Bill? However, I will not press the issue to a vote. I beg to ask leave to withdraw the amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. Clause 53 ordered to stand part of the Bill. Clause 54 Consultation on draft EDP”

“I beg to move amendment 93, in clause 47, page 66, line 18, at end insert— “(6A) Where a spatial development strategy includes a Smoke Control Area or an Air Quality Management Area, the strategy must— (a) identify measures to reduce air pollution resulting from the development and use of land in that area, and (b) out…”

“It is widely recognised that the climate and nature crises are deeply interconnected. However, although the Planning and Infrastructure Bill rightly requires Natural England to consult the Environment Agency and the Joint Nature Conservation Committee, it fails to require it to consult the Climate Change Committee or t…”

“I beg to move amendment 52, in clause 53, page 86, line 21, after “strategies,” insert— “(ca) the current Carbon Budget Delivery Plan, (cb) any reports and strategies produced under the Climate Change Act 2008,” This amendment would require Natural England to consider the Government’s Carbon Budget Delivery Plan and an…”

“I have seen comments from a number of environmental NGOs that were upset with how their previous comments had been taken out of context and used to indicate support for the Bill in a part of it that they do not feel so strongly supportive of. I have also heard feedback from environmental and nature protection NGOs that…”

“The Minister has tabled amendments 95 and 97, but is that the sum total of the Minister’s response to the OEP’s advice? Those amendments do not, by any means, address the thrust and specifics of that advice. What further response does the Minister intend to make in response to and recognition of the OEP’s advice?”

“How can the Government have that confidence when the OEP says that they should not?”

“I thank the Minister and other hon. Members for their comments; I would like to push the amendment to a vote. I agree with the hon. Member for Taunton and Wellington on the importance of including the word “significant”, but as the Minister says, we will come on to that later. I recognise the importance of chalk stream…”

“I want to say something further, but not specifically as an intervention.”

“rose—”

“I rise to speak in very strong support of amendment 18 to clause 50, which is one of a number of amendments I have tabled to part 3. I have significant concerns about part 3—concerns clearly shared by a wide range of environmental organisations, the Office for Environmental Protection and by many prominent scientists. …”

“I beg to move amendment 18, in clause 50, page 84, line 27, at end insert— “(2A) An environmental feature identified in an EDP must not be— (a) an irreplaceable habitat; (b) ecologically linked to an irreplaceable habitat to the extent that development-related harm to that feature or the surrounding site would negative…”

“I plead with the hon. Member not to press the amendment to a vote, in the interests of time and also because I cannot vote for his amendment proactively, because I think it is even more poorly written than the text it is trying to replace, so can we—[Laughter.]”