The Mineral Products Association (MPA) believes that new requirements for biodiversity net gain, and application of the ‘Metric’, could lead to worse outcomes for nature than those delivered through the current UK minerals planning system.
The MPA says the minerals industry is uniquely placed to deliver positive outcomes for nature and has been doing so for over 50 years.
Today (7th July), the latest Defra ‘Biodiversity Metric 3.0′ has been published. The formula is to be used in the vast majority of planning applications to demonstrate a ‘biodiversity net gain’ of at least 10%.
The MPA has long called for greater recognition that mineral extraction delivers net gain as a matter of course, and a Metric isn’t needed. If the sector is to have a Metric, this needs to recognise the unique characteristics and opportunities presented by minerals extraction and the restoration of quarries.
However, these calls have not been heeded, and a one-size-fits-all approach is being introduced that might encourage less, not more, habitat to be delivered.
The net gain requirement is one of the measures in the Environment Bill that is currently progressing through Parliament.
Once enacted, biodiversity net gain will become a legal requirement for new development. This has been introduced to address the serious damage to wildlife resulting from other types of development, particularly housing.
The MPA argues that mineral extraction is different. It is a temporary activity that occurs over many years. Once the mineral has been extracted, sites are progressively restored, creating new habitats. The creation of some habitats – for example, lakes, reedbeds, rock faces, lowland heathland – is demonstrably easier to achieve on minerals sites. However, the new Metric could encourage delivery of habitats deemed easier to create in the shorter term, rather than what is best for wildlife.
To date, MPA members have created over 80 square kilometres of UK Priority habitats, with a further 110km2 committed to restoration plans, footprints that are equivalent to the cities of Derby and Liverpool, respectively. The MPA’s ‘National Nature Park’ includes 80 such sites.
Nigel Jackson, MPA chief executive, said: “Net gain is not a new concept for the minerals industry. It has a long and proven track record over 50 years of delivering high-quality biodiversity gain on its land, especially through restoration of quarries. This has been achieved without either a legal requirement or a Metric but rather by minerals operators working with planning authorities, communities and conservation bodies to agree and deliver restoration schemes that self-evidently deliver for nature.
“Rather than recognising the significant contribution the mineral products sector has made delivering nature recovery, this industry is being saddled with a Metric designed to offset the impacts of new housing development. The one size fits all approach that is being proposed will create a delivery framework that may encourage less, not more, habitat to be delivered. This represents a perverse environmental outcome at a time when Government is continually stressing the importance of nature recovery. We would ask that Defra and Natural England think again.
“We hope that mineral planning authorities will be pragmatic and focus on outcomes rather than numbers and processes designed for and more suited to housing.”
