Before the dust has even settled on the most recent

attempts to reform the planning system, the Government

has seen fit to consult on further changes, in the form of

the White Paper Planning for a Sustainable Future.

While some aspects of the White Paper are welcome, thedevil is in the detail, with some of the proposals presentingthreats to both the environment and the public’s ability toengage with the planning process.

On pages two and three of this issue, Simon Marsh, Headof Planning and Regional Policy, outlines the RSPB’s

Here we go again! thoughts on these proposals. We now wait with interest to see how the proposals will take shape once theconsultation responses have been considered.

Also in this issue, we feature articles on the benefits of thenatural environment to mental health, sustainable planningin Scotland and more.

Carl Simms, Editor

carl.simms@rspb.org.uk

IN THIS ISSUE Will the Planning Reform Bill deliver for the environment? • Newsustainable planning awards for Northern Ireland • South Wales planning partnershipfor lapwings • Appropriate Assessment of spatial plans guidance published

CONSERVATIONPLANNER

AUTUMN 2007 ISSUE 27

Will the Planning Reform Billdeliver for the environment?The new Prime Minister, Gordon

Brown, has announced plans to

introduce a Planning Reform Bill in

the 2007–8 parliamentary session.

One of its main benefits, it is claimed,

is ‘more timely and predictable

decisions on infrastructure projects

that are key to economic growth,

international competitiveness, tackling

climate change, energy security and

improving quality of life.’ But will it

deliver for the environment?

Judging by the Planning White Paper,there are serious doubts as to whetherit will.

The White Paper says positive thingsabout sustainable development,climate change and the environment.Proposals to make it easier forhouseholds to install energymicrogeneration systems are broadlywelcome. The Government also claimsto care ‘passionately’ about the

impacts of climate change, in particularon the distribution of habitats andspecies, although we wait to see whatthat means in practice.

On the other hand, the PlanningDisaster coalition, of which the RSPB is a part, claims that planning reformsthreaten valuable landscapes, habitats,historic environments and localcharacter (www.planningdisaster.co.uk).

The role of the Infrastructure PlanningCommission is one of the most radicalelements of the proposals. The RSPBagrees with those who criticise its lackof direct accountability and theproposed inquiry procedures, whichallow the public only a very limitedopportunity for debate.

The green sector approaches theWhite Paper with suspicion because of its origins in Kate Barker’s review of planning. She may have comeround to a positive view of planning,but her review was narrowly focussedand used a selective evidence base.

Work commissioned by the RSPBconcluded that the review was wrongto assume that planning proceduresand protection of the environment area major constraint on the economy.Other areas of public policy have amore direct impact on productivitythan planning. Indeed, planning

Carbon emissions: a mixed message

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The proposals are broadly

supportive of renewables.

supports the quality of environmentalcapital, which contributes to economicactivity and quality of life (GHKConsulting, 2006).

So while it’s fine in principle to updateplanning policy on economicdevelopment, rhetoric aboutstrengthening the economic pillar ofsustainable development implies thatsomehow the social and environmentalpillars have become pre-eminent. Thisis deeply worrying – and yet this is thetone that permeates the White Paper.

The jury is still out on changes toeconomic and town centre policy, aswe await forthcoming consultations.However, what about the WhitePaper’s proposals for majorinfrastructure? No one is claiming that the present system is perfect. We recognise that some of theproposals are positive: clearstatements of national policy forinfrastructure, prepared with properpublic consultation, are a good idea.For example, the RSPB has long called for a national ports policy. Pre-application consultation on majorinfrastructure is also welcome.

But some key tests of whether theWhite Paper will deliver for theenvironment are missing, or appear not to have been properly thoughtthrough. Where, for example, is a

commitment to a duty on sustainabledevelopment for major infrastructure?It is already established as the purposeof the town and country planningregime. In Scotland, it applies toMinisters in their preparation of theNational Planning Framework. Surelywe also need it for major infrastructurein England, along with guidance onhow to implement it?

Strategic Environmental Assessment(SEA) is a valuable tool usedinternationally to improve theenvironmental performance of plans,programmes and strategies so thatthey can better contribute tosustainable development. The WhitePaper promises SEA of some nationalpolicy statements, ‘where appropriate’.Why not all? It is not as if there is noexperience of doing high-level SEA;the Scottish Executive, for one, isleading the way.

Then there is the Habitats Directive.Those preparing development plansare grappling with the implications of assessing their impacts onEuropean wildlife sites (see page 7) .Doing this at a strategic level is animportant step in avoiding, wherepossible, projects that damage ourmost important wildlife sites. A similarapproach must be adopted in relationto policy statements for majorinfrastructure, especially where

locationally specific – but the WhitePaper is silent on this.

Won’t, though, the White Paperpromote major renewables? It may do, and we would hope that the mostenvironmentally sustainable optionsare promoted, but it also seems topromote major airports, roads, powerstations, incinerators and so forth. All these are contentious, and havepotentially significant implications forenvironmental quality and carbonemissions. It is unclear, to say theleast, how this can be squared with the Government’s own climatemitigation targets, let alone the moredemanding 80% carbon reduction by2050 that many are calling for.

Carbon emissions apart, what is required are environmentallysustainable solutions for ourinfrastructure needs, whether forenergy, water or transport. Asustainable development duty, backed by the use of robustassessment tools, will help to ensurethat the Planning Reform Bill doesindeed deliver for the environment.

A version of this article previouslyappeared in Planning magazine.

Simon Marsh, Head of Planning and

Regional Policy, RSPB

simon.marsh@rspb.org.uk

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Controversial plans for major

infrastructure highlight the challenges

facing wildlife areas today.

David Williamson (RTPI), Arlene Foster (Environment

Minister), Claire Williamson (RTPI) and Claire Ferry

(RSPB) at the launch of the awards.

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The Royal Town Planning Institute(RTPI) in Northern Ireland and theRSPB have joined forces to create a sustainable planning award forNorthern Ireland. The twoorganisations aim to promotesustainable development andbiodiversity protection in rural andurban areas, on both a large and smallscale. Environment Minister ArleneFoster launched the award in June.

Claire Williamson from the RTPI NIexplains: ‘There is much moreawareness of the need for planning anddevelopment to be sustainable. We aregradually moving away from a culturewhere a building or development canbe put together without regard for thesurrounding communities, environmentor wildlife. This initiative is about

New sustainableplanning awards forNorthern Ireland

celebrating practical examples ofbuildings and new developments thatmeet those needs.’

Northern Ireland has lagged behindother areas of the UK on good practice,so the award encourages developers,architects and planners to bringinnovative ideas to life. The awardbuilds on the RTPI-sponsored planningaward at RSPB NI’s 40th birthdaycelebrations last year, awarded to theMourne Heritage Trust for its MourneHomesteads Project.

This was an innovative schemeestablished in 2000, dedicated toseeking ways of addressing the loss oftraditional buildings in the countryside.It demonstrated sustainability throughthe use of local stone for construction,

and native-species hedgerow andshelter planting to add to the locallandscape value.

Claire Ferry, of RSPB NI, hopes that thisyear’s entrants will be inspired. ‘Theaward will look beyond the constructionor building itself, to includeconsideration of the processes that led to the development taking place.Applicants will need to demonstrate thewide range of positive impacts of thedevelopment, including on wildlife,rural areas and landscape, renewableenergy and the local community, aswell as how the planning systemcontributed to the project.’

Arlene Foster said that she supportsthe partnership approach of the award,but added that more work needs to be done: ‘We need to effect a realculture change and ensure thatbiodiversity becomes embedded inpolicy and decision making at alllevels, in Government and throughoutthe public and private sector. Byworking together, we have a muchgreater chance of protecting ournatural heritage. The alternative is tosee many of our species and habitatslost forever.’

An expert panel will judge the award,and the short list will be announced in December 2007. Three finalists willshowcase their entries at a jointRTPI/RSPB sustainable developmentCPD event in February 2008.

For more information, e-mail Claire

Ferry at claire.ferry@rspb.org.uk

Rock Cottage, Mourne

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South Wales planningpartnership for lapwingsLapwings were once a common sight

on farmland throughout Wales, but the

population has suffered a dramatic

decline in numbers in recent years. The

breeding population in Wales decreased

by 77% between 1987 and 1998, and

numbers have fallen further since then.

RSPB Cymru has recently formed apartnership with the Welsh AssemblyGovernment, Department of Economyand Transport (DET) – formerly knownas the Welsh Development Agency(WDA) – and Blaenau Gwent CountyBorough Council, to further theconservation of lapwings. Thepartnership centred on Rhyd y Blew, a 28-hectare former opencast site thatwas seen as a potential developmentarea by what was then the WDA. Dueto the flat, compact nature of the site,and its location in an important areafor breeding lapwings, it attractednationally important numbers of thespecies. However, the site was alreadyallocated for employment in anadopted development plan.

Having expressed our concerns to theCouncil and the WDA, we entered aworking partnership with both todevelop a strategic approach to lapwingmanagement in the Heads of the Valleys

will be a permanent lapwing-breedingarea, and DET-supported managementwork is already under way there.

The third element focussed on thefuture of lapwings beyond these twosites, with the aim of developing astrategy for this species in the Headsof the Valleys area. The strategy willidentify all the important sites in theregion, advise landowners anddevelopers on lapwing managementand raise community awareness oflapwing conservation measures.

This project will make great stridestowards securing the future of thesebeautiful and intriguing birds. TheRSPB would like to thank all of thepartners involved.

Mike Webb, Senior Planning Officer for the RSPB in Wales: ‘This is a primeexample of how, with good will and animaginative and innovative approach,the town and country planning systemin Wales can deliver gains for wildlife.Blaenau Gwent County Borough Counciland DET are to be congratulated fortheir vision and enthusiasm insupporting this joint project.’

Steve Spode, Senior EnvironmentManager for DET: ‘The directinvolvement of RSPB staff has enabledus to pursue a more sustainableoutcome, where we can move forwardto address the needs of lapwingsalongside our work to improve the local economy.’

Colin Cheesman, Principal ProjectOfficer for the Environment at BlaenauGwent County Borough Council: ‘Byworking together, not only has anexcellent opportunity to create newmitigation habitat for lapwings comeabout, but a great deal of awarenessand voluntary effort has beenmobilised and co-ordinated to conservethe lapwing in a much wider area.’

For more details, call Lynne Osgathorpe,

Heads of the Valleys Lapwing Project

Officer, on 01495 355826.

area. Almost all important lapwingsites in the Heads of the Valleys aresubject to some degree of developmentpressure, as they consist of formerindustrial sites at edge-of-centrelocations. To make matters worse,studies show that the majority oflapwings return annually to breedwithin 2 km of their place of birth.

Both the Council and the DETresponded enthusiastically to thechallenge of developing a strategy,and a three-stage approach wasadopted. The first element was interimmanagement of the Rhyd y Blew siteitself. The DET agreed to continuemanaging the site in a mannersympathetic to breeding lapwings,until end-users were found. Lapwingshave continued to breed there as aresult of this management.

The second element centred on theneed for a replacement site. Since thelong-term future of Rhyd y Blew as abreeding site is unsustainable, the DETagreed to commission a consultant’sreport to identify a replacement site forthe lapwings. This generated a suite ofpossible locations, from which the finalsite, Parc Bryn Bach Country Park, waschosen. It is anticipated that this site

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Planning for sustainabledevelopment in ScotlandThe Planning etc. (Scotland) Act 2006

introduced a statutory duty for

planning to contribute to sustainable

development. RSPB Scotland worked

hard to ensure that this was included

as part of the new Act. Unfortunately,

it applies only to the preparation of

development plans and the National

Planning Framework (NPF), not to the

consideration of planning applications.

However, the planning system being

developed from the new Act remains

very much a plan-led process. In

practice, therefore, decisions that

are made in accordance with a

development plan, prepared in

accordance with the duty, should also

contribute to sustainable development.

The Framework established by the NPF will be an important element indetermining the extent to whichcompeting demands can be reconciledwith the objective of deliveringsustainable development.

We are pleased that Stuart Housden,RSPB Director of Scotland, is amember of the Scottish ExecutiveAdvisory Group overseeing theproduction of the next NationalPlanning Framework. We look forward to further consultations

on this and the StrategicEnvironmental Assessment, which will inform its production.

Given the need to tackle climatechange, and the new statutory role of sustainable development in theemerging Scottish planning system, it is vital that planning authorities areprovided with clear guidance. TheScottish Executive recently consultedon a draft statutory guidancedocument on planning and sustainabledevelopment. The guidance iswelcome, and an important first steptowards ensuring that planning canrealise its contribution to sustainabledevelopment – although it could beimproved in a number of areas. Inparticular, the guidance needs to domore to enthuse and inspire planningauthorities and planners to deliversustainable development. It shouldclearly define what sustainabledevelopment is and why it is needed,and give the message that achievingsustainable development is imperativeif we are to ensure our long-termquality of life.

The draft guidance made it clear thatScottish Ministers regard climatechange as the principal challenge

of sustainable development. RSPBScotland agrees that climate change is a significant challenge and the most serious long-term threat tobiodiversity. We also believe thatplanning has a vital role to play intackling climate change. However, wesuggest that the particular challengesof climate change may warrant moredetailed guidance, especially since the Scottish Government committed to introducing a Climate Change Billand has proposed an ambitious butessential target of reducing emissionsby 80% by 2050. We hope, therefore,that the Scottish Executive willproduce detailed guidance on howplanning authorities can contribute to meeting that target.

While climate change is undoubtedlyof great importance, we hope thatMinisters will not let this challengeovershadow other important aspectsof sustainable development, such asconserving and enhancing biodiversity.A robust and adaptable environment is particularly important in light of thethreats posed by our changing climate.

For further information, please

contact aedan.smith@rspb.org.uk

or anne.mccall@rspb.org.uk

Flow country, Dubh

Lochans, near Altnahara

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Appropriate Assessment ofspatial plans guidance publishedThe RSPB has prepared guidance to assist regional and

local authorities with the assessment of their spatial plans

to ensure our most important wildlife sites are protected

by the planning system.

The UK holds a diverse range of inspiring wildlife sites,several hundred of which are of recognised internationalimportance. These special places not only make a hugecontribution to wildlife, but also improve our quality of life. They can aid our physical and mental health, provideeducational opportunities and perform vital natural‘services’ such as carbon storage, sea defence and floodrisk management, pollution capture and groundwaterrecharging, to name but a few.

The most important sites for wildlife form part of the EU-wide network known as ‘Natura 2000’. Many of thesesites have suffered unnecessarily from poorly managedhuman activity in the past. However this does not mean that development in the right place and done in the rightway cannot happen. With the aid of AppropriateAssessment (AA), spatial plans have a vital role in ensuringthat potential conflicts between wildlife and developmentare avoided or resolved. AA is a special form of planassessment that must be carried out on any plan that islikely to have a significant affect on a Natura 2000 site.

The RSPB has been working with regional and localauthorities on the AA of spatial plans, such as RegionalSpatial Strategies and Local Development Frameworks,

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What the RSPB guide covers:When AA is requiredWhat the AA should examineThe level of detail neededUsing the results in the plan-making processDifferences and similarities between AA and other planassessment (ie Strategic Environmental Assessment and Sustainability Appraisal).

and understands the challenge this presents for planners.Based on its experience, it has now published guidanceoffering a practical approach to AA as an integral part ofplan preparation in England. Key principles are applicableacross the UK, and the RSPB is preparing guidancespecifically for Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.

AA of spatial plans allows planners to find solutions thatdeliver socio-economic objectives while staying withinenvironmental limits. We feel that delivering plans thatprotect our best and most treasured places for wildlife is a key demonstration of development that is trulysustainable and we hope our guidance will help plannersachieve this.

The guidance is available at www.rspb.org.uk/ourwork/conservation/sites/england/newguidance.asp

For further information, please contact James Dawkins,

Development Plan Casework Officer, at

james.dawkins@rspb.org.uk.

UK Headquarters

The Lodge, Sandy, Bedfordshire SG19 2DL Tel: 01767 680551 Fax: 01767 69236

Northern Ireland Headquarters

Belvoir Park Forest, Belfast BT8 7QT Tel: 028 9049 1547 Fax: 028 9049 1547

Scotland Headquarters

Dunedin House, 25 Ravelston Terrace,Edinburgh EH4 3TP Tel: 0131 311 6500 Fax: 0131 311 6569

Wales Headquarters

Sutherland House, Castlebridge, Cowbridge Road East, Cardiff CF11 9ABTel: 029 2035 3000 Fax: 029 2035 3017

North Wales Office

Maes y Ffynnon, Penrhosgarnedd, Bangor,Gwynedd LL57 2DW Tel: 01248 363800

Midlands Regional Office

46 The Green, South Bar, Banbury,Oxfordshire OX16 9AB Tel: 01295 253330Fax: 01295 265734

East England Regional Office

Stalham House, 65 Thorpe Road, Norwich NR1 1UD Tel: 01603 661662 Fax: 01603 660088

Northern England Regional Offices

1 Sirius House, Amethyst Road, NewcastleBusiness Park, Newcastle upon Tyne NE4 7YL Tel: 0191 2568200Fax: 0191 2120622

Westleigh Mews, Wakefield Road, Denby Dale, Huddersfield HD8 8QDTel: 01484 861148 Fax: 01484 862018

South East England Regional Office

2nd Floor, Frederick House, 42 Frederick Place, Brighton BN1 4EATel: 01273 775333 Fax: 01273 220236

South West England Regional Office

1st Floor, Keble House, SouthernhayGardens, Exeter, Devon EX1 1NTTel: 01392 432691 Fax: 01392 453750

East Scotland Regional Office

10 Albyn Terrace, Aberdeen AB10 1YPTel: 01224 624824 Fax: 01224 626234

North Scotland Regional Office

Etive House, Beechwood Park, Inverness IV2 3BW Tel: 01463 715000 Fax: 01463 715315

South and West Scotland Regional Office

10 Park Quadrant, Glasgow G3 6BSTel: 0141 3310993

The RSPB is the UK charity workingto secure a healthy environment for birds and wildlife, helping tocreate a better world for us all. We belong to BirdLife International,the global partnership of birdconservation organisations.

Cover: Andy Hay (rspb-images.com)Regd charity England & Wales no 207076Scotland no SCO37654 270-0563-07-08

As a charity, the RSPB depends on the goodwill and financial support of its members and people like

you. Please visit www.rspb.org.uk/supporting or call 01767 680551 to find out how to join.

Natural thinking on healthThe link between the natural

environment and public health has

long been recognised, and was a factor

in the establishment of both urban

parks and National Parks. The current

evidence connecting physical health

to the natural environment is gaining

increased recognition (Conservation

Planner 22, page 2), but the link to

mental health is less well understood.

Mental wellbeing is not just the absenceof disease, but a state in which a personis fulfilled, can make sense of theirsurroundings and has purpose in life.The total annual cost of mental healthproblems in England is £41.8 billion –an expensive challenge that the naturalenvironment can help us to meet.

A new report for the RSPB, NaturalThinking, describes the evidence onhow access to natural green spacescan help to alleviate a range of mentalhealth problems and contribute towellbeing. For example, contact withnature reduces stress and increasesquality of life for elderly people. It also improves children’s concentrationand self-discipline, including thesymptoms of attention deficithyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

This evidence is starting to gaingreater weight with medical bodies,such as the Faculty of Public Health,and many now acknowledge theimportance of green space inmaintaining good physical and mental

health. The Department of Health isdeveloping guidelines on includinghealth in strategic environmentalassessment, while the SustainableDevelopment Commission isencouraging NHS organisations topromote health through both naturaland man-made environments. Visitwww.sd-commission.org.uk/pages/health.html for more information.

We seriously underestimate the health benefits of access to naturalenvironments. The NHS should add

contact with nature and outdoorexercise to the tools it uses to treatand prevent health problems. Goodplanning can facilitate this by includingbiodiversity considerations in plans atthe earliest stage.

Natural Thinking is available atwww.rspb.org.uk/policy/health

Article by Ian Dickie, RSPB Head of

Economics, and Dr William Bird,

Strategic Health Advisor to Natural

England and a GP in Reading.

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