Member

The view of most ecologists interviewed is that, 15 years or so ago, when the SNCBs employed top ecological experts, the system operated reasonably well, despite the legal framework. A pragmatic approach was taken to proving that there was a risk of an adverse effect. In recent years, the hollowing out of scientific expertise from the SNCBs, thanks to the policy of the coalition Government and then the Conservative Government, has given rise to unnecessary blocking or scaling back of development, as well as a failure to achieve best value for nature through compensation.