On Wednesday 6th September in the House of Lords there was a debate under the headline of Levelling-up and Regeneration Bill and Amendment 217 and it was set out by Andrew Lansley who is a Conservative member of the Lords. After a number of comments Jane Scott who is a Government Minister then spoke about the theme and half way over her comments she stated this following text. She was the final person towards the end of the discussion and after she finished Andrew finished the discussion. She was the only one who referred to Brighton & Hove but it was very interesting. The whole of the discussion is available from here and this is her comment. Her reference was to Zac Goldsmith who was a Conservative MP at Richmond Park from 2010-2019.

Amendment 221A, in the name of my noble friend Lord Goldsmith, seeks to impose swift nests, boxes and bricks as conditions on relevant planning permissions. Personally, I love my swifts and I watch them every year. I believe they are a joy to us all. The Government really welcome the actions by developers that contribute to and enhance the natural and local environment. We support, in appropriate circumstances, planning conditions or obligations being used to require that planning permission provides for works that will measurably increase biodiversity. An example of this is the approach that Brighton and Hove City Council is taking to use conditions to promote nesting habitats for swifts.

We think that further specific measures, such as swift bricks and boxes, should be explored but through national policy, not legislation. We have announced a wider national planning policy review, in which we have already committed to exploring the incorporation of nature into development through better planning for green infrastructure and nature-friendly buildings. We are not able to support this amendment, but we look forward to working with my noble friend further as we explore this issue. With that commitment, I hope that my noble friend will not move his amendment.