UKH calls for more support to help industry meet biodiversity regulations
The trade body cautioned against ‘placing burdensome regulations on businesses already struggling to get their post-Covid recoveries off the ground’, urging the government to ‘strike a balance between protecting the environment and creating too much bureaucratic red tape’
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UKH has called on the government to provide more support for hospitality venues to enable them to meet its biodiversity regulations.
The trade body cautioned against “placing burdensome regulations on businesses already struggling to get their post-covid recoveries off the ground”, urging the government to “strike a balance between protecting the environment and creating too much bureaucratic red tape”.
UKHospitality was responding to a Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) consultation on biodiversity net gain regulations and implementation.
DERFA said: “The consultation sets out our proposals and asks questions about how biodiversity net gain will be applied to town and country planning act development, and, at a higher level, nationally significant infrastructure projects.”
UKHospitality chief executive, Kate Nicholls, said: “The government must consider the scale of operations and resources required for businesses to comply with the proposed regulations, and should therefore provide significant support to businesses where necessary.
“This could include financial help, particularly for smaller businesses set to incur significant implementation costs. The planning processes are already too cumbersome, stifling investment. It should be simplified, with streamlined requirements placed on businesses in providing biodiversity core information, to minimise costly and time-consuming administrative burdens.”
She added: “Hospitality is supportive of the government’s environmental goals and its ambition to become carbon net zero by 2050. Indeed, the sector remains committed to prioritising sustainable practices, and has set its own targets ahead of this date.
“The industry is fully aware that it has an important role to play in promoting sustainability and biodiversity, and many hospitality businesses are progressing their efforts to reduce emissions and meet the government’s environmental goals. Biodiversity is important for businesses, and many already prioritise protecting the natural environment surrounding their venues and local spaces.”
