The chancellor has now instructed Ed Miliband and the team at the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero to look at how to take the Fingleton recommendations forward. The recommendation in the task force's report around the duty is not backed up by any evidence. The protected landscapes duty is not and has not been an impediment to nuclear development in England. Bringing landscape and nature round the table early on in infrastructure development will make for better strategic planning decisions and speed up processes, avoiding lengthy and expensive delays or court cases.

The UK is already one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world and maintaining a healthy and well-regulated natural environment will only get harder as the climate changes. Ensuring that public bodies and utility companies consider England's protected areas is not overly burdensome: all the evidence shows that we need a well-functioning natural environment for the health and wellbeing benefits it provides to people, but also because our economy and prosperity won't function without it.

We recommend that this challenge to the duty results in the co-design of more specific sectoral guidance, which would bring clarity around how relevant authorities can conserve and enhance England's protected areas alongside their other duties and obligations. 

Our colleagues in the Wildlife Trusts, Campaign for National Parks, Wildlife and Countryside Link and many other nature and wildlife charities have come together to ask Ed Miliband to properly consider the full nature impacts of recommendations to amend the Habitats Regulations and scrap the protected landscapes duty, find out more here.