Catchment covers 125 square
A photo of the Waikanae River from the Alexander Turnbull Library, taken in the 1890s. Much of the riverbank falls into protected zones identified by the regional council as “Key Native Ecosystem” (KNE) sites along the river. They are some of the best examples of lowland riparian forest in the region with hugely diverse ecosystems. Regional council biodiversity management team leader Richard Romijn said these were home to nine plant and five freshwater fish species listed as nationally threatened, and two plant and one bird species listed as regionally threatened. Chair of Friends of Waikanae River Russell Bell pointed out it wouldn’t take much to see the whole length of the river’s course protected in this way.
Releasing a 133-page report on 10 June, the House of Commons committee urged the Government to proceed with caution and do more research before progressing the Planning Bill. It noted that public policy think tank the Smith Institute said Jenrick’s white paper is more of a green paper – filled with discussion points rather than detail.
Most importantly, the committee wants a draft planning bill to be released for pre-legislative scrutiny.
REPORT HIGHLIGHTS
Opposition is brewing. Some background: the committee counts several Conservatives among its members, and several other key Conservatives – including former Prime Minister Teresa May – have come out against the planning reform proposal. It is reported that up to 80 Tories are members of a WhatsApp group criticising the Government’s plans. This could spell bad news for Whitehall and the future planning reform bill.
Hybrid grain rye is being grown for the first time by farming group Sentry in south Norfolk as a low-input crop on light land as it may be able to cope