Senior Research Associate at the ECI, Alison Smith, has published a briefing note to help policymakers, advocates, and others understand the potential impacts of the Planning and Infrastructure Bill, currently being debated in the House of Lords.
The briefing focuses on the Bill’s implications for biodiversity, local democracy, and community wellbeing, with particular attention to Part 3, which could allow development on some of England’s most protected habitats. It also highlights opportunities for positive amendments to reduce environmental risks.
Commenting on the Bill, Alison said:
The Planning and Infrastructure Bill in its current form is the most radical reduction in protection for nature the UK has ever seen. We hope that this briefing will be useful as a guide for members of the House of Lords as this Bill is debated over the coming days, and for others who are concerned about the impacts of the Bill and are advocating for amendments.”
The briefing note identifies priority amendments, including measures to protect irreplaceable habitats, strengthen the mitigation hierarchy, and ensure compensatory habitats are delivered in advance, aiming to safeguard biodiversity while supporting more sustainable development.
Alison Smith is a Senior Research Associate on the ECI’s Biodiversity and Ecosystems Research Programme, as well as a researcher at the ECI’s Leverhulme Centre for Nature Recovery (LCNR). Alison was the lead author of the briefing note, with co-author Dr Kiera Chapman, Postdoctoral Researcher in Attention, Flourishing & the Humanities, in the Faculty of English Language & Literature at the University of Oxford, who is also affiliated to the LCNR.
Read the Briefing Note in full: Planning and Infrastructure Bill: Key Concerns and Recommendations
Find out more about the Planning and Infrastructure Bill on the UK Parliament website.