Development policy is failing housebuilding and the environment Peers warn

The House of Lords' Built Environment Committee said last week that it should be possible to both deliver new development and improve the environment, but on current showing the Government risks missing both its housing targets and green ambitions.

In a post inquiry report into The impact of environmental regulations on development, the committee criticised the government for lack of leadership and poor implementation of strategy.

During its inquiry, the committee heard that 45,000 new homes a year may not be delivered because of Natural England's advice on the nutrient, water and recreational applications of the Habitats Regulations. At the same time, 61% of the country’s Sites of Special Scientific Interest are in an unfavourable condition.

Chair of the Built Environment Committee, Lord Moylan, said: “The current approach to managing any conflict between new homes and the needs of the environment is failing to deliver for either side. Our inquiry found that the achievement of the Government’s housing and environmental policies has been hampered and sometimes completely blocked by lack of co-ordination in policy-making and haphazard and unbalanced implementation.

“There is no way the government can deliver on its housebuilding targets unless it is brave and displays the political leadership necessary to deliver and implement a comprehensive strategy for both development and the environment.”

Among the calls from the committee were:

• housebuilding targets should be given statutory weight, giving them an equal status with environmental goals;

• more support is needed for smaller developers, who are at particular risk from nutrient neutrality and biodiversity net gain policy;

• the lack of managed credit-purchase mitigation schemes for specific pollutants or in certain areas is restricting developers' ability to gain planning permission while mitigation networks, organised by Natural England, should be created to share expertise and learning between affected local planning authorities;

• better consultation, communication and guidance for developers and local planning authorities;

• better coordination on planning permissions and permitting from Defra and DLUHC.

• cross-government plans should be developed to address major pollutants and to ensure that money is expended where it will have the most impact.