Hitchin & Harpenden Member of Parliament Bim Afolami MP has welcomed Government plans to protect and enhance the environment, published in the Environmental Improvement Plan 2023. The Plan, which provides a comprehensive delivery framework to halt and reverse the decline in nature, will build on the UK’s leadership in the new global deal for nature agreed at the UN Nature Summit COP15.
The Plan set outs a number of environmental commitments, including:
- Creating and restoring at least 500,000 hectares of new wildlife habitats, starting with 70 new wildlife projects including 25 new or expanded National Nature Reserves and 19 further Nature Recovery Projects
- Delivering a clean and plentiful supply of water for people and nature into the future, by tackling leaks, publishing a roadmap to boost household water efficiency, and enabling greater sources of supply
- Challenging councils to improve air quality more quickly and tackle key hotspots.
- Transforming the management of 70% of our countryside by incentivising farmers to adopt nature-friendly practices.
- Boosting green growth and creating new jobs – from foresters and farmers to roles in green finance and research and development.
- Committing to give the public access to green space or water within a 15-minute walk from their home, such as woodlands, wetlands, parks and rivers.
Bim Afolami MP said,
“We are fortunate to have one of the best and most beautiful natural environments in England in Hitchin, Harpenden and the villages – from our precious chalk streams to our ancient woodlands and much more besides. It is absolutely vital that we continue to give them the protections they need – but also that we go further and ensure that nature is enhanced and improved however we can.
“I welcome that the Government has set out a clear road map for how we intend to deliver those improvements. As your local Member of Parliament, I will work tirelessly to ensure that our community sees the benefits of this plan – working with our farmers to take advantage of new opportunities to improve sustainability; making sure our local councils take action to improve air quality; and continuing to demand that the water companies to do better to protect our rare chalk streams.
“And I will continue to work with Ministerial colleagues and local stakeholders to make the case for expanding the Chilterns Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty right across North Hertfordshire, which would unlock new protections for our environment and new opportunities to make it even better.”
NOTE TO EDITORS
Further new commitments included in the plan are set out below:
Nature:
- A multi-million pound Species Survival Fund to protect our rarest species – from hedgehogs to red squirrels.
- Through the support of government schemes 65 to 80% of landowners and farmers will adopt nature friendly farming practices on at least 10 to 15% of their land by 2030. They will also be supported to create or restore 30,000 miles of hedgerows a year by 2037 and 45,000 miles of hedgerows a year by 2050.
Water:
- Setting out 10 actions we are taking on water efficiency in new developments and retrofits, including reviewing building regulations and other legislation to address leaky loos and confusing dual flush buttons and to enable new water efficient technologies
- Restoring 400 miles of river through the first round of Landscape Recovery projects and establishing 3,000 hectares of new woodlands along England’s rivers.
- Reforming the current regulatory framework to rationalise the number of regulatory plans and create a more efficient system which better enables joined up working to achieve catchment-level outcomes
Air:
- Challenging councils to improve air quality more quickly by assessing their performance and use of existing powers, while supporting them with clear guidance, funding, and tools.
- Reducing ammonia emissions through incentives in our new farming schemes, while considering expanding environmental permitting condition to dairy and intensive beef farms.
- Improving the way air quality informatio is communicated with the public.
Waste:
- Making it easier for people to do the right thing to minimise their waste, including a new set of interim targets for 2028 to reduce different types of waste, including plastic, glass, metal, paper, and food.
