HL Deb 07 December 1998 vol 595 cc71-2WA
Lord Kennet

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What action they propose to take in future to ensure that public disquiet about the impact on the countryside of projects such as the Newbury bypass is adequately addressed. [HL101]

Lord Whitty

We want a countryside in which the environment is properly protected and conserved. Following the Comprehensive Spending Review, spending on DETR's countryside and wildlife programmes is set to rise from £128 million this year to £174 million in 2001–2002. We recently announced our intention to set out our vision for rural England in a rural White Paper.

As explained in our White Paper, A New Deal for Transport—Better for Everyone, there is now a strong presumption against new or expanded transport infrastructure which would adversely affect significant environmentally sensitive areas or sites.

In our report of the Roads Review, A New Deal for Trunk Roads in England, we announced that major road infrastructure projects will only be taken forward when, after rigorous appraisal against our criteria of environmental impact, safety, economy, accessibility and integration, they emerge as the best or only way of achieving our objective at an acceptable cost. We have developed a new approach to appraisal to ensure that environmental, economic and social factors are properly examined and evaluated in a clear and consistent way.