Fury at Owen Paterson over proposal to build on UK's parks
Environment Secretary Owen Paterson has come under fire for backing building in national parks if it is "offset" by boosting habitats elsewhere.
The North Shropshire MP suggested "biodiversity offsetting", in which developers make up for damage done to natural areas by creating or enhancing other habitats, could provide opportunities in national parks to boost growth while protecting the environment.
But countryside campaigners said some habitats were "irreplaceable" and part of the landscape, and it was not possible to simply order a new one to be delivered somewhere else "like it's an Amazon purchase".
In a speech to a National Park Authorities conference in Easingwold, near York, Mr Paterson said: "For too long we have allowed the lazy assumption that the environment and growth are incompatible objectives within the planning system. I believe that, with a bit of innovative thinking, in many cases it is possible to have both. This is why I am particularly interested in biodiversity offsetting."
He added: "It gets round the long-running conundrum of how to grow the economy at the same time as improving the environment. It could provide real opportunities in our National Parks, where the necessary extension of a farm building could result in the enhancement of an existing habitat or the creation of a new one."
But a spokeswoman for the Campaign to Protect Rural England said: "Exactly how would it be possible for a developer to replace, for example, ancient hedgerows by way of mitigation?
"Some habitats, particularly sensitive ones, are irreplaceable and thoroughly integral to the landscape's character because it's taken centuries to evolve – you can't just order a new one to be delivered somewhere else like it's an Amazon purchase.
"Offsetting doesn't address the complex way in which wildlife systems are sustained and thrive, and if it allows developers to push through damaging schemes then it's just another way for money to win over protecting nature."
But the Country Land and Business Association welcomed Mr Paterson's comments on biodiversity offsetting.
CLA president Harry Cotterell said: "The countryside must be dynamic if the rural economy is to thrive, and our national parks should be no less subject to change than townscapes.
"The quality of the natural environment depends on resources which come at a cost to those who manage the land.
"Biodiversity offsetting, when appropriate, allows an increase in economic activity while also enabling the overall conservation and enhancement of the natural environment."
