Angela Rayner, the secretary of state for housing, communities and local government, together with Steve Reed, the secretary of state for environment, food and rural affairs, have written a letter to nature conservation organisations hoping to win their support for house-building developments.
鈥淲hen it comes to the planning system鈥檚 role in providing the nature and housing we need, we know that the status quo is not working,鈥� the ministers write. 鈥淓nvironmental assessments and case-by-case negotiations of mitigation and compensation measures often slow down the delivery of much-need housing and infrastructure. Meanwhile, the condition of our environment, and even our most important habitats and species, has declined over a sustained period. This is a lose-lose situation, for our economy, the public and for the natural environment.鈥�
The letter continues: 鈥淲e are determined to transform the system to ensure a win-win for housebuilding and nature. We want to use the value gained from enabling development to proceed quickly and smoothly to support nature recovery 鈥� and to do so in a way that gives everyone involved greater certainty鈥�.
鈥淲e recognise that we are only likely to the right answer by working closely with you 鈥� organisations with longstanding experience of what it takes to improve environmental outcomes on the ground. That is why we have sought to engage with you immediately with a view to ensuring a constructive dialogue over the coming months as to the best way forward. We therefore look forward to working with you over the coming weeks, in a spirit of partnership that we hope will mark a change from the past 14 years.鈥�
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