Speeches by Pennycook.

“The very direct answer would be no. I had the chance to refine the presumption when we revised the NPPF back in December. It plays a critical role in ensuring development can come forward in some form where a local authority does not have an up-to-date plan in place and is not meeting its housing delivery target. If we…”

“I assume that it is in the presumption because it does not have an up-to-date local plan in place, and it is not meeting its housing delivery targets. My answer is that a system that is based on local development plans, and in which we have under a third up-to-date coverage, is not a system that is functioning well. We…”

“You will appreciate that I cannot comment on any specific planning applications for the obvious reason that Ministers have a quasi-judicial role in making some of them. My starting point in answering that question would be: why is your authority in the presumption?”

“I understand the point: that he would like to see that.”

“That is not something that the Government incorporated in their revised NPPF. I know that the Committee knows this, but just to put on the record, the NPPF is a high-level policy framework to guide planning decisions. It does not need to incorporate and copy in every other Act of Parliament or strategy. It has very cle…”

“As a Government Minister, I would define it precisely as it is defined in the national planning policy framework. Chapter 2 sets out a very clear definition of sustainable development, in that the planning system has three overarching objectives—economic, social and environmental—all of which are independent but must b…”

“Again, Ms Chowns, I think you are slightly misinterpreting how the nature restoration fund will work. It is not for developers—[Interruption.] If I could just finish the sentence, I will answer the question. It is not for developers to determine steps 1 and 2 under an EDP; Natural England will prepare the EDP. All that…”

“Not developers. Let me please reinforce this point: developers do not develop environmental delivery plans. Developers do not draft them. Natural England makes the judgment on the conservation measures required. And yes, it has that flexibility.”

“I would argue that we have not jettisoned it entirely—that is precisely my point.”

“I do not think that I could have been any clearer on this point. We are not going to remove the flexibility that the approach provides for in that regard. To do so would be to render the whole nature restoration fund inoperable in the way that we want to see it come forward. I appreciate that you take a principled and …”

“And the package of amendments that we have tabled, as I said, substantially allays their concerns.”

“We laboured over extensive debates in Committee, Chair, so in the interest of time, I just refer the Committee to those. Ms Chowns, you are well aware that the Bill is premised on Natural England having a degree of flexibility in how it applies the mitigation hierarchy. We would expect it to do so normally, but if it f…”

“We accept that in some respects there will be impacts. In the round is the important point, because again—I emphasise—we are moving to a strategic approach, which needs to deliver overall environmental improvements across a wider area, not on a site-by-site specific basis. That is how we get the win-win. I appreciate t…”

“I can happily read you the quote, Ms Chowns: “even after the material amendments the Government proposes, the Bill would, in some respects, lower environmental protection on the face of the law. In the round, however, the additional safeguards proposed today make Government’s intended ‘win-win’ for nature and the econo…”

“Again, I would not necessarily agree with your characterisation of what I said.”

“The requirement is that Natural England brings forward environmental delivery plans that will meet the overall improvement test. My assertion is that they would not put that in front of the Secretary of State if they were not confident that it would do so.”

“Just so that I am clear, you are assuming that Natural England will undertake no such surveys.”

“We are very clearly moving away from a site-by-site approach to a strategic approach.”

“I disagree with your characterisation of the approach. We are moving very deliberately away from the status quo, which, as I have said, is not only stifling housing development but not delivering for nature in the way that we think it could.”

“Do you think Natural England would not undertake that type of analysis in bringing forward EDPs? I find the lack of faith in Natural England generally in this process quite startling.”