Labour has targeted sparking economic growth as its top priority while in power and that has put them on a perceived collision course with the country’s environmental commitments.
The UK economy grew by 0.1% in November last year, according to the Office for National Statistics, putting more pressure on the Labour front bench to deliver on growth promises.
Reeves has targeted planning reforms since being named chancellor last summer, looking to make it easier to build large infrastructure projects and targeting the construction of 1.5 million homes to tackle the housing crisis.
Prime minister Keir Starmer has also vowed the government will be “builders not blockers”.
Labour’s planning reforms have earned praise in some quarters. Jamie Gollings, deputy research director at Social Market Foundation, said Reeves’ speech showed the “kind of urgency required” to boost housebuilding but said the government needs to “pull even more levers, more quickly and more firmly”.
But Adam Peggs, a researcher at fellow think tank Common Wealth, said that the focus on “bats and newts” is a distraction from Labour’s real challenge.
“Stopping developers worrying about ‘newts and bats’ will not revive a flagging economy or help the Labour government deliver the biggest uptick in ‘affordable’ housing for a generation,” said Peggs.
“The UK economy’s critical problem, and a central factor in our poor housing system, is insufficient public investment, from money for clean energy to new, high-quality council housing.”
Why are bats and newts being blamed for planning problems?
Planning applications are renowned for being slow to gain approval under the current system, which is discretionary and focuses on case-by-case applications.
Applications must also consider the impact on local wildlife and the environment and that can often see animals like bats and newts take the blame if a development will impact on their habitat.
The most notorious example came last year when Sir Jon Thompson, the chairman of HS2 Ltd building the controversial railway line, claimed they would have to build a ‘bat tunnel’ in Buckinghamshire costing £100m.
Environmental campaigners have said that there is “widespread misinformation blaming nature as a blocker”.
Joe Keegan, public affairs officer at the Wildlife Trusts, argued that healthy ecosystems mitigate risks to businesses such as flooding and droughts and also filter pollutants from water.
Keegan also said restoring nature offers wellbeing and health benefits which “strengthen the foundation for sustainable growth”.
The Wildlife Trusts expert said around 6.3 million properties in England are at risk of flooding and natural solutions such as wetlands – which also support newts – need to be protected.
He also said that situations like the HS2 ‘bat tunnel’ could have been prevented if the government had carried out a strategic environmental assessment when the railway line was approved more than a decade ago.
Keegan said: “This is clearly a multifaceted issue, and blaming beleaguered wildlife such as newts will do little to alleviate the very real housing crisis while aggravating the nature crisis.”
Meanwhile, the Bat Conservation Trust said 18 bat species could be impacted by the government planning reforms.
The charity argued the proposals would remove the requirement to carry out site surveys and on-site impact avoidance when submitting planning applications, which could lead to damage to bats’ habitats.
Developers would be able to “break the law and avoid necessary steps to protect species and habitats” in exchange for paying into a nature restoration fund, the group added.
A Bat Conservation Trust spokesperson told the Big Issue: “Blaming the laws that protect bats, newts and other wildlife, as well as our wider environment, for planning delays is short sighted and misguided.
“A healthy environment is essential for a thriving economy and there are ways to reduce planning delays whilst also protecting our natural heritage. We have highlighted ways to reduce delays in our planning briefing shared with the government.”
Rachel Reeves’ assertion has also faced opposition in political circles.
Zack Polanski, deputy leader of the Green Party, said: “The sheer arrogance of the chancellor standing there saying no more worrying about the bats and the newts?
“Who the hell does she think she is? She’s literally picking a fight with nature and the biodiversity of our planet. I know who most people will back!”
Do you have a story to tell or opinions to share about this? Get in touch and tell us more. Big Issue exists to give homeless and marginalised people the opportunity to earn an income. To support our work buy a copy of the magazine or get the app from the App Store or Google Play.
