The Landscape Institute (LI) has expressed cautious optimism regarding the UK Government’s proposed Planning & Infrastructure Bill. LI recognises the Bill’s potential to streamline regulation, encourage sustainable development, and drive economic growth. However, the Institute also stresses the critical need to embed landscape and environmental considerations into all stages of planning and decision-making.
“It’s essential that the regulatory framework fosters sustainable development and ensures that nature, landscape and the wider environment is enhanced through the development process – delivering benefits to people, place and nature.” stated Carolin Göhler FLI, President of the Landscape Institute.
To achieve this, the LI advocates for an integrated approach where key elements such as biodiversity, water management, landscape and visual impact assessment, health and wellbeing, transport, and climate targets are considered from the outset of planning processes. This would help ensure that new infrastructure and built environments contribute positively to both ecological and societal resilience.
LI has also raised concerns that changes to the Nature Restoration Fund could allow developers to opt out of on-site mitigation obligations. This could lead to biodiversity loss and a reduction in people’s access to nature – vital for our health and wellbeing. Instead, we advocate clear safeguards that retain and
strengthen on-site mitigation and robust biodiversity net gain requirements for any size of
development to contribute to.
The LI’s position reflects a broader industry sentiment that while planning reforms should facilitate development, they must not do so at the expense of nature. Sustainable growth can only be achieved when environmental responsibility is embedded within regulatory frameworks.
Cover Image Credit: Islington Square, New Islington – copyright Flickr User – Alan Stanton