Government response to Fingleton Review must not weaken nature protections

CPRE responds to the government’s announcement on the Fingleton Review, welcoming its decision not to adopt the recommendations in full, while warning that protections for nature must not be weakened.

We welcome the government’s decision to step away from adopting the flawed Fingleton recommendations in full following sustained pressure from environmental campaigners. 

The British public could not be clearer in its support for nature. A recent poll commissioned by CPRE found that more than 98% of Britons want to see protections for the countryside maintained or strengthened. 

But the government cannot claim to share this view while leaving the door open to weaker safeguards for nature and protected landscapes. Instead of clear, principled policymaking, today’s announcement has the ring of another political fudge. 

The government must now provide certainty that existing protections for the countryside and nature will be upheld, reflecting the overwhelming public support for safeguarding England’s landscapes.