ERA at the Climate Coalition Mass Lobby

Three ERA members travelled to Westminster on 9 July to join 5000 others from across the country for the Climate Coalition’s Mass Lobby 2025. The elegant space of Queen Elizabeth Hall was taken over by grassroot groups as well as larger organisations to lobby their MPs on topics of their own choosing to do with climate and the environment.

Accompanied by Helen Fox, we (Sue and Andrea) had issued an invitation to our MP for Arundel and South Downs, Andrew Griffiths, to meet with us on the day. Our time was fixed for 3.15 and he replied that he would 'try'. We are grateful to the organisation MP Watch for support throughout, both beforehand in our preparations and during the day. We planned to talk to Mr Griffiths about the Nature Restoration Fund embedded in The Planning and Infrastructure Bill - a subject which we knew concerned him as a nature loving MP.  Environmentalists have criticised this aspect of the bill, expressing concerns about the potential weakening of ecological protections. Wildlife charities fear that the proposal that developers pay into a fund might give them a get out of jail free card instead of obliging them to conduct site-specific assessments. This change, we felt, could endanger protected or vulnerable sites.

However, while 200 MPs did turn up to meet with their constituents, Andrew Griffiths was unable to make it. At least we were very pleased to see how many came from across his constituency and we enjoyed exchanging ideas with them while we waited.

Despite our MP’s no show we thoroughly enjoyed the day. We learnt a lot from the several stands we visited in the main hall as well as from the two fascinating talks that we managed to catch. The first was given by Shantyl Rogers, the passionate creator of Radio Nation Coventry who, in her career as an educator of residents of high security institutions, uses time in the natural world to deep beneficial effect.  The second talk by Dan White from Accessible Democracy also gave us plenty to think about. He told us how the Disabled Community is desperate for their voices to be heard in the fight for the climate and the environment but how many barriers stand in their way.

We all agreed, as we pushed back through the crowds on Westminster Bridge and The Southbank on our way back to Waterloo, that it had been an enjoyable and inspiring day.

Andrea explains the point of the Nature Restoration Fund:

This represents Part 3 of the Planning and Infrastructure Bill currently having passed through parliament's committee stage before the third reading and then to the Lords. The aim of the Bill is in part to speed up the building of new houses, infrastructure and renewable energy but some environmental organisations have suggested it is more likely to threaten protection of the natural world. 

Evidence clearly shows that nature is not a blocker to growth as has been claimed when blaming amongst other things bats and newts whose presence only leads to a very small number of projects being stalled.

The Nature Restoration Fund, to be administered by Natural England, will let developers pay into it and thus discharge their legal responsibilities to protected habitats and species. Laws that have protected the natural world for a long period could be diminished if developers can pay their way out of compliance. The idea is to construct Environmental Development plans which will set out how damage to protected species and landscapes, likely to be caused by development, may be mitigated and paid for by the Nature Restoration Fund. The Fund could be used for strategic nature restoration but this would make site specific mitigation less likely to occur. However the new system could be used to advantage for large scale projects of nature recovery if funding is sufficient.

Many problems have been identified including how decisions will be taken as to how the Fund is to be used, how monitored ,and how to insure that local concerns of the damage to be done by the development will be taken into account.

It should be noted that the Government has announced a package of amendments this month which overall show a greater commitment to a recognition of the value of nature.  As the Bill has a long way to go and will not be discussed again until Autumn there is time to digest the effects the amendments will have in bolstering the protection of our natural world while also not holding back the need for more housing, infrastructure and renewable energy.

I am happy to discuss this part of the Bill as I am sure there are many questions arising. I would also be interested in ideas as to how to effectively lobby for improvements to the Bill in the coming months. My email address is andrea.linell92@gmail.com.