The UK is at risk of missing its legally binding target to protect biodiversity and nature, a report has warned.

Britain pledged to protect and conserve at least 30% of the country’s land and sea by 2030 – an international target known as 30×30 that was agreed at the United Nations Biodiversity Conference (COP15) in Montreal in December 2022.

Rebecca Speare-Cole www.independent.co.uk 

However, the government risks missing the target unless it acts urgently to halt and reverse the unprecedented environmental crisis in the UK, according to a report released by the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) on Tuesday.

The UK ranks among the bottom 10% of countries globally for biodiversity, with only 53% of its biodiversity remaining and 41% of UK species seeing significant population declines since 1970, it said.

Meanwhile, there is fewer than than six years left to meet the UN but less than 3% of England’s land and 8% of its seas are effectively protected, the paper adds.

The think tank said the new Labour Government has the opportunity to embed nature recovery into a bold agenda for national renewal as it outlined a blueprint for ministers to tackle the issue.

This plan involves measures like tackling sewage polluters by developing legally binding targets and strengthening powers for the Environment Agency to enforce sanctions.

Other recommendations include delivering a fair transition for farmers, through additional funding for environmentally friendly farming in England and legislating for a right to roam, expanding rights of responsible access to the English countryside.

Joseph Evans, a researcher at IPPR, said: “Britain’s natural landscapes are a source of pride for many of us, but the UK’s nature is in a dire state: biodiversity is failing, species are declining and many people simply don’t have reasonable access to green spaces.

“The new government has an opportunity to reverse nature’s decline and drive progressive change around the country. Restoring nature must be a cornerstone of the government’s national renewal strategy.”

A Defra spokesperson said: “Britain’s nature is in crisis, which is why we have wasted no time in announcing a rapid review of the Environmental Improvement Plan to make sure it is fit for purpose to deliver legally binding targets and halt the decline in species by 2030. This government will also improve access to nature for all by creating nine new National River Walks and three new National Forests.

“We have taken immediate steps to put water companies under tough special measures and turn the tide on the unacceptable pollution of our waterways, while introducing a new deal for farmers to boost food security and restore nature.”

Plans for 42 new homes in Lympstone,  including some affordable housing, has been rejected by planners.

Bradley Gerrard www.exmouthjournal.co.uk 

The scheme by 3 West, based in nearby Woodbury,  would have been split into two areas, with five larger homes accessed from one point and the other 37 from another.

Concerns about additional traffic on roads serving the new houses – Strawberry Hill and Meeting Lane – were a key concerns of East Devon District Council’s planning committee’s reluctance to approve the development.

Some councillors believed that separating the larger, more expensive homes from the others meant richer home buyers would essentially be segregated.

Some objectors stated that the scheme would only offer 14 affordable homes – 35 per cent of the total – even though planning policy dictates that half of such a site should be deemed affordable.

However, the developer had pledged to contribute nearly £300,000 to help pay for affordable housing elsewhere in the district, thus bringing its notional contribution up to half of its Lympstone scheme.

Opponents who attended the meeting raised fears about flooding, the capability of the sewage system to take on more waste, and that the site is outside the specified boundary for development in Lympstone.

“Using the sustainability argument for the site is disingenuous as most people commute by car,” resident Jane Moffat told the committee.

“We did a survey recently and it showed the train in the village didn’t go to the destinations people needed it too, and that it was too expensive, with bus travel being viewed in the same way.”

Ms Moffat added that the plan was for a coastal preservation area, and that the community did not have the infrastructure to accept 42 more new homes – “including a functioning sewerage system”.

Resident John Brewer, a civil engineer, said he was part of the Lympstone flood resilience group and that blocked gullies and drains on Meeting Lane were a constant issue.

“We categorise the road as a hotspot in terms of this issue, and this proposal will direct surface water to the drainage point on Meeting Lane,” he said.

“The pipe is already susceptible to blockages and the lane prone to flooding.”

Another resident of the nearby Gulliford Close, on the southern boundary of the proposed site, feared a loss of privacy.

“It was clear the developer was doing a survey of the land in 2022, but first approached the community in early 2023 with a development plan, and that hasn’t changed in spite of condemnation of it by residents surrounding its layout and the entrances,” the resident said.

Lympstone parish councillor Susan Francis said while the scheme “might tick a few of East Devon’s boxes, it doesn’t ours. It should be refused as it fails to respect the character of the village,” she said, adding that the proposed Strawberry Hill entranced would be “dangerous and unnecessary”.

“Two Meeting Lane entrances would be better, and designing it as two closes would be more cohesive, as this one creates clear areas of difference.”

David Matthews, 3 West’s director of operations, said his firm would look to deliver the houses “in haste” if it was approved, thanking the council’s officers for their support with the plans.

“We have agreed with officers that 35 per cent affordable housing on-site is acceptable, with a mix of rental properties and shared ownership,” he said.

“That has been endorsed by the affordable housing officer, as we will provide £292,000 for more affordable housing in the locality and district.

“Fourteen on-site units is notable and should not be overlooked as the council has been suffering from under delivery; building these would help it reduce its housing waiting list.”

He added the scheme would bring roughly £800,000 in community infrastructure levy payments, a quarter of which is paid to the parish council, while he expected it to create 120 permanent and temporary local jobs across his firm and local sub-contractors.

After a lengthy debate about the most robust policies by which they scheme should be refused, the committee settled on a range encompassing the scheme’s design, location and layout, as well as a lack of pedestrian access, concerns about the impact on mature trees on the site and the lack of social cohesion.

Nine members voted to reject the scheme, with two councillors in favour and one abstaining.