Member

I turn to Amendment 237 in the names of the noble Earl, Lord Russell, and the noble Baroness, Lady Jones, which would require Natural England to include a schedule of implementation for each conservation measure contained in an EDP; it would also require those measures to be put in place in advance where Natural England believes that significant environmental damage could occur. I should start by drawing noble Lords’ attention to government Amendment 245A, which would require an EDP to set out the anticipated sequencing. This sequencing would include detail on whether, and which, conservation measures must be in place in advance of development coming forward, ensuring that no irreversible harm to an environmental feature could occur. This would form part of the Secretary of State’s assessment of whether an EDP would pass the overall improvement test. Up-front conservation measures may be necessary in instances where a habitat or species is rare or fragile and requires immediate action to improve its conservation status before development impacting on it could be approved.