House builders have given a cautious welcome to government plans published last week that would allow developers to destroy wildlife and woodlands if they create new habitats elsewhere.
Ministers hope the proposals for biodiversity offsetting will make it easier for new housing and commercial schemes to go ahead, boosting the economy. However, environment groups have dubbed the plans a “licence to trash nature”.
John Slaughter, director of policy at the Home Builders Federation, praised the way Defra was approaching the issue, after it pledged that biodiversity offsetting would not be introduced unless there was consensus that it would not add to development costs, slow down the planning system, or result in a net loss to the environment.
“We cautiously welcome the concept and are now exploring what is an interesting idea and are taking views from our members. The good thing is that it does seem to be a genuine open consultation,” said Slaughter.
Ministers have been frustrated that some large schemes have been obstructed by wildlife concerns. But Sandra Bell, nature campaigner at Friends of the Earth (FoE) told the Guardian: “Nature is unique and complex – not something that can be bulldozed in one place and recreated in another at the whim of a developer. Instead of putting nature up for sale the government should strengthen its protection through the planning system and set out bold plans to safeguard and restore wildlife across the UK.”
But Tom Tew, chief executive of the Environment Bank, the company acting as the independent broker between planners and developers, told the paper: “I think FoE and others completely misunderstand how biodiversity offsetting works. It is not a licence to trash, it is the complete opposite. When you put a value on biodiversity, you are putting a financial incentive for developers not to trash it.”
A comprehensive recent assessment of Britain’s natural world showed that wildlife has declined steeply in the last 50 years. It found 97% of flower-rich lowland meadows, which support birds, bees and butterflies, had been destroyed since the 1930s.
Meanwhile, a new standard aimed at helping developers and construction firms to improve biodiversity management has been published by the British Standards Institute.
BS 42020, Biodiversity – Code of Practice for Planning and Development will help organisations fulfil their obligation to support local biodiversity targets. It deals with projects and products that include planning and development of new buildings, also extending to changes in land use – and how these activities impact upon biodiversity.
The new standard provides: guidance on how to produce clear and concise ecological information to accompany planning applications; recommendations on professional ethics, conduct, competence and judgement to give confidence that proposals for biodiversity conservation, and consequent decisions/actions taken, are sound and appropriate; direction on effective decision-making in biodiversity management; and a framework to demonstrate how biodiversity has been managed during the development process to minimise impact.
David Fatscher, head of market development for sustainability at BSI, said: “When we plan and construct new buildings we have a responsibility towards the biodiversity in that location. Having a standard like BS 42020 that unifies the reporting procedure for everyone involved in this area, in a clear and consistent manner, means that the government directives for biodiversity can be met. It also demonstrates a real commitment to managing biodiversity and minimising the impact of development.”
