Ancient Woodlands Lords Amendment

A number of constituents have contacted me with a template email about the Lords Amendment concerning Ancient Woodland.

 

Protecting our environment is one of my key local priorities, and so I wanted to share my views with you.

 

I fully understand the importance of this issue and I am glad that our ancient woodlands are already strongly protected under the National Planning Policy Framework. The Government also provides advice for local authority planners for when they make planning decision proposals affecting ancient woodland, ancient trees and veteran trees.

 

The majority of the proposals suggested in the Lords Amendment you have highlighted are already covered under the National Planning Policy Framework and by the ancient woodland standing advice. The amendment was therefore not deemed necessary and was not accepted by Parliament.

 

I am reassured that cases will be kept under review where loss or deterioration of ancient woodland has been or is justified on the basis of “wholly exceptional” circumstances and ministers will encourage them to be brought to the attention of Defra at an early stage. I also welcome that guidance to planners making decisions on what is considered wholly exceptional will be revised.

 

Alongside this, ministers will build on existing protections, including by introducing a new category of long-established woodland (woodlands that have been around since 1840) and will consult on the protections they are afforded in the planning system. The new England woodland creation offer will also fund landowners to buffer and expand ancient woodland sites by planting native broad-leaf woodland, and ministers will update the Keepers of Time policy on the management of ancient woodland, veteran trees and other semi-natural woodland.

 

The Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities (DLUHC) has also been looking into further measures that could be included in the upcoming Planning Bill to build on existing protections. 

 

As constituents may be aware, the Government has announced its Net Zero Strategy: Build Back Greener, which sets out policies and proposals for decarbonising all sectors of the UK economy to meet the net zero target by 2050.

 

The strategy includes the commitment to boost the existing £640 million Nature for Climate Fund with a further £124 million, ensuring total spend of more than £750 million by 2025 on peat restriction, woodland creation and management and to treble woodland creation rates in England, which will contribute to the UK’s overall target of increasing planting rates to 30,000 hectares per year by the end of the Parliament.

 

I hope this reassures constituents that the Government is continuing to put measures in place to support ancient woodlands.