When the planning system leaves sites empty, it also blocks money that is urgently needed to enhance local biodiversity, says Jaquelin Fisher
In all the furore about the National Planning Policy Framework, nobody has really analysed what the impact will be on environmental enhancement. The large-scale enhancement of major areas of landscape and ecological importance are principally funded by the taxpayer, with assistance from European funds such as DGXI. But with public spending stretched to breaking point, an increasing number of interest groups are fighting for an ever-decreasing slice of the pie.
One key area that rarely qualifies for this funding is biodiversity enhancement in the urban/suburban and semi-rural context delivered through the planning gain mechanism. In this case, enhancements are funded by contributions resulting from development, effectively securing the future of a network of natural habitats. Developers are acutely aware of the need for this, and the onus falls on them to deliver. As well as being a non-negotiable part of the planning process, the enhancement of these areas is also critical to the retention of key species and habitats.
With nearly a decade of ‘go-slow’ in the development industry, primarily driven by planning complexity, environmental enhancements are simply not happening
The planning gain mechanism is long-established and well understood within the building industry. A typical example might be a medium-sized residential or mixed development on the urban fringe. The development footprint would consist of both hard development and areas of open space and semi-natural habitats, created and maintained by the developer. The devel