Member

Amendment 240A, tabled by my noble friend Lady Young, seeks to ensure that only protected features of protected sites or protected species can be covered with an environmental delivery plan. I recognise the intention behind this amendment, but I assure my noble friend that that is already the case. The drafting of Clause 55(2) is a closed list setting out that an environmental feature identified in an EDP may be the feature of a protected site or species. Because this is a closed list, changing it from “may” to “must” would not have any effect in practice. We are confident that EDPs could be brought forward only to address impacts on protected sites and protected species. I hope that my noble friend will not press her amendment.