Member

Moving on, Amendments 235A and 235B in the name of the noble Lord, Lord Roborough—he indicated that they are probing—propose to extend the lifespan of an EDP from a maximum of 10 years to a minimum of 30. Although I can see the driver behind these amendments, I fear that in practice they would not have the outcome that he wishes to achieve. EDPs will be strategic and forward-looking by their nature, and will require Natural England to demonstrate how conservation measures can outweigh the impact of development by the end of the EDP period. This will require Natural England to be able to model a range of considerations, such as the level of development over the plan period; the scale of the impact on the protected feature; and the cost of bringing forward conservation measures. These matters will need to be understood well enough for the Secretary of State to take a reasoned view as to whether the conservation measures will materially outweigh the impacts of development benefiting from the EDP.