UK Nature and Environment

A legal campaign group is planning a judicial review against the UK government’s new planning bill, arguing it will result in a weakening of environmental protections which were fought for and created over decades.

Wild Justice is calling on the housing minister, Angela Rayner, to correct a parliamentary statement in which she told MPs the bill, which applies mainly to England and Wales, would not reduce the level of protection. Her words were echoed in a letter to the Guardian from the nature minister, Mary Creagh, who stated it did not repeal habitat or species protections or give a licence to do harm.

The group sent Rayner a pre-action protocol letter on Monday calling on her to “correct the parliamentary record” to make clear that her statement about environmental protection in the bill was not correct. If this does not take place, they will apply for a judicial review.