The British countryside and coastal waters are part of our cultural heritage and identity. Wildlife habitats and the public realm in villages, towns and cities enrich the lives of our fellow citizens and they should be cherished. However, population growth, indifference and poor planning threaten our natural landscapes and the riches they provide. Some institutions charged with protecting our wildlife and historic sites have abandoned their core purpose in favour of fashionable ideologies. Abstract international targets set by supranational organisations distract us from achieving meaningful local environmental improvements. We need to protect our natural and historic environment from further loss and embark on a long and careful period of restoration.
POLICY PLEDGES:
- A national land-use plan will be produced to optimise use of our limited space and ensure that the interests of nature conservation, food security, energy security, housing, infrastructure and landscape quality are balanced.
- We will support increased use of the greenbelt for smallholdings, county farms, allotments, market gardens and community orchards. Private sector housing development on greenbelt or high-grade agricultural land will be prohibited.
- We shall mandate energy efficiency into the planning and building regulations system. Subsidies will be available for solar panel installations on existing commercial and residential buildings. Planning consent will not be granted for solar farms on agricultural land.
- Single-use plastic in food retail and catering will be phased out within 3 years. Mandatory returnable deposits on drinks containers and toxic waste products such as batteries will be introduced.
- Ancient woodland and veteran trees will be protected in both urban and rural environments. National tree cover will be increased – always abiding by the principle of ‘right tree, right place, right reason’. Agroforestry practices incorporating managed grazing will be supported. A national hedgerow protection and restoration plan will be implemented.
- We will clean up our rivers by setting capital investment targets to prevent sewage discharges, by supporting farmers to reduce livestock density in sensitive catchments, and by robust enforcement of all water pollution regulations.
- We will implement, monitor and maintain an ecologically coherent network of Marine Protected Areas, including Highly Protected Marine Areas, in consultation with all stakeholders.
- We will protect our historic buildings and landscape features, and ensure that the responsible institutions focus on this core purpose. We will support parish councils and community groups to prevent churches from falling into a state of disrepair.
- We will enhance the public realm in our towns, cities and villages through sensitive planning and development, a zero-tolerance approach to vandalism and graffiti, and by funding local authorities to recruit, train and pay unemployed people to deliver civic improvement projects.
- Overwhelming focus on climate ‘catastrophe’ is fostering anxiety and despair in children. From early years to key stage 3, all children will learn about British wildlife and given opportunities to carry out practical conservation in their local area. The Natural History GCSE will teach the observation and identification of species, as well as introducing students to the inspiring achievements of Britain’s pioneering naturalists.