Anyone who has read my blog regularly over the years will remember the campaign to ensure that the Visitor Centre at Spurn did not impact on the delicate eco systems around the Humber. Thankfully the legislation in place at the time around protecting wildlife ensured that the potential for damage by that scheme was minimised and suitable measures were put in place as mitigation.
Unfortunately Spurn and indeed anywhere that has designations to protect wildlife is again under threat.
Last Friday Uk Government effectively waged open warfare on our wildlife.
The introduction of investment zones with relaxation of planning regulations leaves some of our most important sites wide open for developers.
You can read the release on the UK Government website here
The most powerful legislation (The Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations) are under threat.
Some of East Yorkshires most treasured wildlife areas are protected by the strongest legislation available. The Humber is internationally recognised and has RAMSAR, Special Protection Area (SPA) and Special Area for Conservation (SAC) status. The Humber also has National recognition in the form of Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and a Natural Nature Reserve at Spurn.
The coastal areas around Flamborough and Filey both have SPA and SAC accreditations and the seas directly off East Yorkshire are protected by nationally recognised Marine Conservation Zones. See the tweet below from The RSPB.
As both a sea angler and wildlife photographer I have seen first hand the benefits that these protections provide.
I have been an avid sea angler for the best part of 50 years and the angling on the East Yorkshire Coast is as good as I have ever known it. Not only the numbers of fish but the diversity of species is just amazing. Great days can be had during any month of the year. Smoothound, rays and bass can be caught throughout the summer months with cod and whiting the main target during winter. The abundance of fish and diversity of species creates its own wealth with local business owners benefitting from the abundance of anglers flocking to the coast all year round in search of some of the best angling in the UK.
Similarly the wildlife around East Yorkshire is superb with the Humber offering wildlife spectacles all year round and the cliffs around Bempton attracting huge numbers of wildlife tourists all year round.
All of what we know and love is under threat.
There is one reason that both sea angling and wildlife watching is so good around East Yorkshire and that is down to the levels of protection put in place to protect it.
The Uk Government announced on Friday that it proposes to introduce investment zones around the UK.
It promises to ‘cut back unnecessary bureaucratic requirements and processes and red tape’ and ‘when proposals come forward for Investment Zones, they will benefit from a liberalised planning process’ also ‘reduce lengthy consultation with statutory bodies’ and relax key national and local policy requirements.
‘Key planning policies to ensure developments are well designed, maintain national policy on the Green belt, protect our heritage and address flood risk, highway and other safety matters-along with building regulations will continue to apply’.
“The planning System will not stand in the way of investment and development’.
THERE IS NOT ONE SINGLE WORD THAT SUGGESTS WILDLIFE AND THE ENVIRONMENT WILL BE PROTECTED DURING THE PROCESS OF ESTABLISHING AN INVESTMENT ZONE.
The Government set out its plans in November 2021 with the release of The Environment Act. The Minister for the Environment at the time said: “The Environment Act will deliver the most ambitious environmental programme of any country on earth.”
The link to the press release hailing the release of The Environment Act is here.
Another extract from the press release is below. I am waiting with baited breath for news of the plan which should be out this month.
Friday’s announcement regarding Investment Zones demonstrates a clear u-turn on that promise. How can we be embarking on the most ambitious environmental programme of any country on earth when the plans on IZ’s clearly demonstrate the will to drive a bulldozer through any regulation and then pour tonnes of concrete over it?
Somewhat embarrassing after the UK held the COP26 summit only a year ago don’t you think?
The news has been met with derision and despair from the normally apolitical RSPB. They have come out and openly condemned the governments plans. It would appear that on the back of that, other organisations including The Wildlife Trusts, The Woodland Trust, The Rivers Trust and the National Trust to name but a few have all come out to condemn the policy around IZ’s. It has been estimated that organisations with membership approaching 15 million people have come out in opposition to the Governments approach.
I have tweeted The Angling Trust asking them to confirm their position
So what does it mean for East Yorkshire?
Well, the first thing to think about is that, if there is a good enough case and indeed enough money from a developer, they can pretty much do as they like. Schemes that support either commercial or housing or both are more likely to get a green light than they normally would. More caravan parks on the coast for example equals more traffic on the roads and a bigger threat from recreational disturbance.
Uncontrolled discharge of effluent equals poisioning of aquatic life in our rivers, estuaries and beaches.
Industrial development in the Humber equals a squeeze on an already busy estuary. More importantly The Habitats regulations called for significant mitigations if the scheme was of national importance (the current scheme at Welwick is a prime example of the Habitats Regulations at work).
Extract from Environment Agency website
INVESTMENT ZONES WOULD BE EXEMPT OF THE NEED FOR NEW COMPENSATORY HABITATS.
That is to say, protected habitat could be built upon with no obligation from the developer to build anything in mitigation. Developers will be given a licence to literally destroy our wildlife with no repercussion.
Planning laws also control discharges into the seas (and that includes sewerage). A relaxation of planning laws to any development with a nearby waterway (river or sea) has the potential to allow uncontrolled discharges. It has already been documented that excessive amounts of raw sewerage have already been made around the coasts of the UK. The latest proposals on IZ’s would do nothing to reverse that.
Make no mistake, the policy announcement by UK Government is all out warfare on the environment and our wildlife.
I have written to my MP Graham Stuart
His response is below
Apologies for the small print, however it would appear that Mr Stuart has copied and pasted the wrong standard response-my query was about Investment Zones and not the Environmental Land Management Scheme (ELMS) to which he appears to have responded.
Quite simply the attack on our wildlife cannot be allowed to happen. The UK is already one of the worlds most depleted countries in terms of wildlife. Its obvious that our Government does not care about the impacts of its relentless and seemingly desparate pursuance of ‘growth’ to the detriment and indeed destruction of our natural world.
If you feel the same way as I do, there is action you can take. The RSPB have put together an action plan that can be accessed via their website the link is here.
Thanks for reading.
