Member

Planning policy must play a role in protecting those sensitive habitats. Development need not come at the expense of our natural water systems. The amendments we have discussed today do not seek to hinder progress but rather to embed a duty of care within our planning frameworks to ensure that spatial development strategies properly consider the presence and condition of rivers and chalk streams. This is not about imposing unnecessary burdens but about enabling strategic authorities to plan with full awareness of the environmental context in which growth takes place.