The government's Planning and Infrastructure Bill, currently going through parliament, poses a threat to more than 5,000 protected nature sites across the country, according to legal analysis published by the Guardian. This includes numerous Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) across Essex and east London, such as the Inner Thames Marshes – home to RSPB reserve Rainham Marshes – and Hainault Forest. The SSSI Inner Thames Marshes is home to RSPB reserve Rainham Marshes (Image: Charlotte Anderson) Other SSSIs include Ingrebourne Marshes in Hornchurch, Walthamstow and Chingford Reservoirs, and Epping Forest, which is also a special area of conservation (SAC).
READ MORE: Two pieces of land in Havering could get special protected status The Essex Wildlife Trust has told the Recorder that the bill in its current form will "rip the heart out of environmental protections". The charity has joined forces with the RSPB to call for part three of the bill, "Nature Recovery", to be scrapped entirely. This section allows developers to avoid environmental obligations by paying into a nature restoration fund – something Essex Wildlife Trust has called "a licence to destroy nature".
Ingrebourne Marshes is another SSSI 'at risk' (Image: Peter Stremes) The fund would not be guaranteed to benefit the communities who lost natural spaces to development, according to the charity, as compensation could take place "miles away". A spokesperson for the Essex Wildlife Trust said: "We’re appalled that constructive solutions from environmental organisations such as ourselves, which put nature at the heart of house-building, have all been rejected by the government. "Much loved places in and around Havering, like Hainault Forest, the Ingrebourne Marshes, the Mar Dyke, and coastal sites such as the Inner Thames Marshes and West Thurrock Lagoon and Marshes could now be at risk."
READ MORE: Volunteer-run community garden in Havering to feature on BBC gardening show An RSPB spokesperson added: "As it stands, the Planning and Infrastructure Bill would weaken crucial environmental protections, including those protecting internationally important sites along the Thames Estuary, home to thousands of wintering and breeding shorebirds and waterfowl. "RSPB is investing in nature's recovery throughout this landscape, meaning communities have wildlife-rich green spaces to enjoy and nature can thrive alongside development." Hainault Forest is a SSSI (Image: Lindsay Jones) The bill is part of the government's promise to build 1.5 million homes across the UK before the end of this term in parliament.
Alex Goodman KC, who has provided three separate legal opinions on the bill since it was presented by Angela Rayner in March, told the Guardian that the bill "withdraws the principal legal safeguard for protected sites". However, the government denies this, arguing that the bill will "maintain the existing legal and policy protections" and deliver "a more strategic approach to improve the environment". A government spokesperson said: "The government has inherited a failing system that has delayed new homes and infrastructure while doing nothing for nature’s recovery.
"That’s why we will deliver a win-win for the economy and nature as part of our Plan for Change, unblocking building and economic growth while delivering meaningful environmental improvements."
