The Environmental Audit Committee is this week considering the environmental impacts of road construction, and whether schemes designed to mitigate this such as biodiversity net gain (BNG) are fit for purpose.
The cross-party committee of MPs will consider how successfully environmental mitigation and BNG have helped to protect the environment and improve biodiversity in new developments, and whether there are specific problems associated with the delivery of new road infrastructure.
In its inquiry into environmental sustainability and housing growth, MPs have heard that the delivery of commitments to improve biodiversity around new developments has sometimes been poor, and that monitoring, enforcement and skills issues have hampered progress.
Concerns have been raised about the success of tree planting for certain road projects. In 2023, the Times reported that 400,000 trees planted in roadwork schemes had died. MPs are likely to ask witnesses what specific challenges are raised by planting new trees, and how developers can prevent major failures.
MPs will also consider how pollution from road run-off affects local ecosystems by leaking into waterways. In 2022, the Government accepted that more action was needed to tackle this problem; MPs will ask National Highways whether the situation has improved since then.
The evidence session, National Highways and environmental sustainability, takes place on Wednesday 3 September in Committee Room 8, House of Commons and the proceedings can be watched live on parliamentlive.tv
Panel 1, from 14.30:
- Nicole Hillier, Principal Policy Advocate, Infrastructure, The Woodland Trust
- Kevin Martin, Head of Tree Collections, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
Panel 2, from 15.15:
- Jo Bradley, Director of Operations UK, Stormwater Shepherds
- Catherine Moncrieff, Head of Policy and Engagement, Chartered Institution of Environmental and Water Management (CIWEM)
Panel 3, from 15.45:
- Nick Harris, Chief Executive, National Highways
- Stephen Elderkin, Director of Environmental Sustainability, National Highways
(Pic: National Highways)
