Defending wildlife should not come on the expense of constructing extra houses, Angela Rayner has mentioned.
Final week, Sir Keir Starmer pledged to construct 1.5 million houses and fast-track planning choices on 150 main infrastructure tasks by the top of the last decade.
Ms Rayner, who’s deputy prime minister and housing secretary, was requested if this meant fewer protections for wildlife like newts, bats, and kittiwakes.
Politics newest: Rayner welcomes ‘fall’ of Assad
The Labour minister advised Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips she thinks “we can look after them, but at the same time not stop building”.
“We can’t have a situation where newts are more protected than people who desperately need housing,” she mentioned.
“What we need is a process which says ‘protect nature and wildlife, but not at the expense of us building the houses’.
“We might do each.”
Picture:
A black-legged kittiwake. Pic: iStock
‘This authorities won’t settle for this nonsense’
The questions arose following Sir Keir’s criticism of a £100m bat tunnel. Final month, the pinnacle of HS2 revealed the construction was one of many many points the massively over-budget rail mission had encountered.
The prime minister mentioned final week: “We haven’t built a reservoir for over 30 years and even the projects we do approve are fought tooth and nail, nail and tooth, until you end up with the absurd spectacle of a £100m bat tunnel holding up the country’s single biggest infrastructure project.
“Driving up taxes and the price of dwelling past perception.
“I tell you now: this government will not accept this nonsense any more.”
Ms Rayner was additionally pushed on what would occur if councils didn’t present sufficient housing to satisfy the federal government’s targets.
Whereas she wouldn’t give a transparent reply, Ms Rayner appeared to say councils can be compelled to conform.
On six events, Trevor Phillips requested her what would occur if councils didn’t construct sufficient homes.
Ms Rayner mentioned Trevor was “missing the point” – and that plans can be “compulsory” below Labour’s Nationwide Planning Coverage Framework.
She went on to recommend the federal government might take over or impose housing on native authorities.
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“Well, ultimately, if they don’t have a local plan, then we will have to look at delivery,” Ms Rayner mentioned.
“But they will have a local plan because they know that’s what they need to do.”
