Thread by @RSPBEngland

Explainer! You’ve asked for more info on #InvestmentZones and the #AttackOnNature. We are worried these zones won’t work for nature, but will they even deliver for growth?

We asked one of our RSPB planning experts, Simon Marsh @RSPBplanner, to take a closer look. Thread …

The UK Government’s proposed #InvestmentZones (IZs) bear a striking resemblance to Enterprise Zones (EZs) and Simplified Planning Zones (SPZs). 2/

SPZs have been around for about 50 years, but there are very few of them. It’s a planning, not a tax, designation where the planning process is relaxed to encourage some types of development.

They mostly permit office, R&D and warehouse uses on old industrial sites. 3/

The best-known example is Slough Trading Estate, reputedly home to David Brent’s paper merchant company.

The small number suggests they’re not very popular, possibly because it’s costly for local authorities to set them up. 4/

SPZ verdict: “meh” 5/

Enterprise Zones are both planning and tax designations, very like Investment Zones.

First proposed by Geoffrey Howe in the 1980 Budget under another pro-growth government. This led to 38 EZs across the UK. 6/

George Osborne re-launched EZs in 2011 after the 2008 financial crash. This led to a further 48 designations. There are 4 in Scotland, 7 in Wales and 1 in NI. 7/

Various studies have scrutinised the economic impact of EZs, such as by the National Audit Office (2013) and the Public Accounts Committee (2014).

PAC was underwhelmed by the job creation figures compared to initial HMT projections. 8/

publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201314/cm…

Centre for Cities (2019) also found job creation was much lower than predicted, at least a third were moves from elsewhere and were overwhelmingly low-skilled. 9/

centreforcities.org/publication/in…

An OBR report (2021) suggests impacts were much smaller than hoped. A UN report on Special Economic Zones found little difference in economic performance between cities with zones and those without. 10/
bit.ly/3MhXeDb

EZ verdict: economic damp squib. 11/

IZs are EZs on steroids. Housing is in the mix for the first time. We don’t yet know what the planning relaxations will look like. But a reference to disapplying legacy EU red tape (some of which refer to crucial rules to protect the nature we love) is extremely concerning. 12/

In guidance to local authorities, UK Gov asked potential applicants for IZ status to mention if it covered a National Park, AONB or SSSI. And states that a list of policies will still apply in IZs…with one notable exception: protections for wildlife. 13/
gov.uk/government/pub…

Julian Glover, author of a UK Government-commissioned review on National Parks and AONBs responded with outrage that these landscapes could even be considered 14/

https://twitter.com/julian_glover/status/1576908028489912320

Simon Clark, DHLUC SoS responded on Twitter to state this would not happen. 15/

https://twitter.com/SimonClarkeMP/status/1577214584070422528

Again, despite ourselves and our nature NGO partners flagging the risks, STILL no mention of IZs not damaging key nature protections. 16/

The evidence from history is clear, these places may not deliver economic growth. And if they are pursued, without the proper protections, nature will suffer. 17/

As an example of what could be at stake, the City of Southampton and Dorset are among the 38 locations that have expressed early interest in having IZs, including alongside the existing Solent Freeport scheme. 18/

Under the proposals, protected areas within the Solent, upon which thousands of birds depend, could become impacted by development. This is why environmental protections and proper provisions for environmental assessment are so important. 19/

And a healthy natural environment underpins a healthy economy. The UK Government’s own Dasgupta Review report showed this, so it’s a shame their approach to IZs values deregulation over nature. 20/
gov.uk/government/col…

Thanks for sticking with us & if you want to take action to express your anger about the UK Government’s attack on nature here's how 16/ action.rspb.org.uk/page/114089/ac…

Also – your views – this is quite a technical thread, but good to know from you if you found it useful, leave a comment below or DM us. END/