Devon MP: “Building homes does not need to come at the cost of nature”

A Devon MP has spoken out against the government’s new planning law, which was debated in Parliament earlier this week.

The controversial Planning and Infrastructure Bill was debated on Monday and Tuesday (9 and 10 June). It has been heavily criticised by a raft of environmental groups, who are so unhappy with it they have called for an entire section to be scrapped.

Richard Foord, MP for Honiton & Sidmouth, told MPs last night: “Nature in Devon is part of who we are, and we face a nature crossroads.

Our Devon landscape is subject to the diggers of developers, encouraged by this government

“I wish to put it on the record that Devon, which is rightly celebrated across Britain for its rugged coastline, its rolling farmland, its spectacular moorlands and its ancient woodlands, is subject to the diggers of developers who are encouraged by this government. 

“Although we all need houses and we all need the protection that they afford, this Bill, if enacted, will only damage nature. 

We face a nature crossroads

“Nature in Devon is part of who we are and we face a nature crossroads. The Devon Local Nature Partnership tells us that the loss and decline of Devon’s wildlife has accelerated rapidly over the past 50 years. 

“The wooded valleys of the Blackdown hills and the wildflower meadows of East Devon are priceless, but once they are gone, they cannot be brought back.

We cannot even create a system where a £44 swift brick is put in a new house

“Yesterday in the Tea Room, we were talking about the darkening clouds of the international system and how this Government are having to deal with such grave matters of state. Somebody then pointed out that, never mind grappling with wars and conflict, we cannot even create a system where a £44 swift brick is put in a new house to encourage nature in our rural areas.

“Healthy natural systems underpin our economy and our communities, but unless we restore nature, we will have nothing left. Building homes does not need to come at the cost of nature. We must build in the right places with nature embedded at the heart of planning.”

Nature charities have sounded the alarm

Earlier this year, a coalition of 32 nature charities sounded the alarm in a letter to ministers to warn that the new government Bill could lead to irreversible habitat loss.

The charities say that Bill will threaten our limited safeguards for nature and stall wildlife protection.

They’re also concerned that it could affect local communities with issues such as more sewage in rivers, increased flood risk, and loss of valued woodlands.

An amendment to help protect nature

Speaking after the debate, Mr Foord added: “I was glad to sign a Liberal Democrat amendment which would require the Secretary of State for the Environment to protect at-risk biodiversity in new developments.

“These included measures to enable the provision on new construction projects of bird and bat boxes, swift bricks, and hedgehog highways.

“That amendment was not selected for debate. Still, my Lib Dem colleagues and I made our views on this plain during the Bill debates earlier this week.”

Migratory bird numbers have plummeted

Iconic migratory birds such as swifts, have plummeted in number in recent years. Swifts are now on the red list of threatened species, along with house martins. Both species travel from Africa each spring to nest in the UK.

Mr Foord added: “While in opposition, Labour was supportive of many environmental measures. It is disappointing to see them depart from their manifesto on an issue so close to the hearts of all of us who value nature.

“The Government should get over its false choice.  It needs to get past the idea that nature is a barrier to economic growth; we can have both.”