Concluding her lecture series on Britain’s Troubled Waters for Gresham College on 12 May, Carolyn reviewed the adequacy of our planning law and administration to deal with projects such as the Old Oak Common development in London, assessing its impact on the water environment and how it might be accommodated. Inevitably, this led to a discussion about the strength of environmental protection legislation and where it came from. Many credit the EU for leading the way, many people accepting that by implementing the various directives, the UK moved away from sobriquets such as ‘the dirty man of Europe’ prevalent in the 1980s. Amongst professionals, the EU platform had achieved a great deal, although most agree that it is not efficient in delivering the changes. Returning to whether environmental concerns had been quantified in decision making, the answer was negative. One view was that if you couldn’t cost the issue (for example, the elimination of a species) it was worth anything. However, new ways of thinking were being developed, such as through a Natural Capital Committee, which may ensure that nature is dealt with in line with the majority of citizens’ wishes.
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