The government risks missing housing and nature targets, MPs have found

The government risks missing housing and nature targets in its proposed reforms, a cross-party group of MPs has warned in a new report.

The Environmental Audit Committee (EAC) found that the measures outlined in the Planning and Infrastructure Bill, which is currently passing through its final stages in Parliament, are insufficient to enable the Government to achieve these objectives.

In a report published on Sunday, the EAC argued that nature is not a “barrier” to housing provision but is a necessity for building resilient environments.

The group also found that without further action to address skills shortages in ecology, planning and construction, the Government will miss its housing development goals.

The Bill overrides existing habitat and nature protections, which the Government believes will be a barrier to its target of building 1.5 million homes by the end of this Parliament as well as wider economic growth.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Chancellor Rachel Reeves have previously argued that current natural regulations have gone too far, often citing the example of the £100 million bat tunnel for the construction of the HS2 railway line.

The bill, if passed, would allow developers to make general environmental improvements and pay into nature restoration funds to improve habitat at other locations.

Toby Perkins, chair of the Environmental Audit Committee, said: “The Government’s target of building 1.5 million homes by the end of this Parliament is ambitious.

“Achieving this in line with our climate and sustainability targets – set out in law – will require efforts on an unprecedented scale.

“This certainly will not be achieved by scapegoating nature, by stating that nature is an ‘obstacle’ to providing housing.

“Our report is clear: a healthy environment is essential to building resilient cities. This cannot be ignored.”

Perkins said the problem standing in the way was that skills were not available on the scale required, as staff in local authorities and regulators were already reaching the limits of their capabilities.

He also argued that ministers should provide better incentives for people to build and live in “carbon-friendly homes”, or improve existing homes.

“It is possible to build the homes we need while protecting a resilient and healthy environment, and allowing nature to thrive,” he said.

“Some big changes may be needed, but nature is not the enemy.”

In the report, the committee outlined a series of recommendations aimed at increasing the viability of production of green construction products and shifting the tax burden to favor green homes.

MPs welcomed the Government’s acceptance of amendments to the Bill which would mean large-scale water projects could be considered nationally important infrastructure.

Other amendments to ensure electric vehicle charging points are accessible to disabled people are being replaced by the Government’s revised Automated and Electric Vehicles Act 2018, which could include regulations implementing accessibility.

But the EAC says these changes alone are not enough to ensure the Government can meet its environmental and housing targets.

“The government must not view nature as an inconvenience or an obstacle to housing construction,” the report said.

“At worst, this approach could lead to the degradation of nature, hindering the achievement of the legally binding climate and nature targets on which our societies and economies depend.”

A Government spokesperson said: “The Government inherited a failing system that delayed the building of new homes and infrastructure, while doing nothing to restore nature.

“We are fixing this through important reforms, including the Nature Restoration Fund, which will create a win-win solution for the economy and the environment.

“This will enable the UK to build the 1.5 million homes we desperately need to restore the dream of home ownership, and not at the expense of nature.”

By Rebecca Speare-Cole, PA Sustainability Reporter