Flood of writs forces Natural England to hire more lawyers

NATURAL England is hiring extra lawyers after a deluge of challenges over HS2, badger culls and bird shooting.

The Government’s nature adviser is being repeatedly taken to court by campaigners unhappy with its decisions, including allowing woodland to be cut for the high-speed rail line and installing fish barriers in the Norfolk Broads.

It said it had “continued to face an increase in legal actions, which aim to challenge specific instances of our decision-making.

“We have taken steps to increase our in-house legal capability.”

It added that it was planning to “proactively work with interest groups to address any areas of conflict relating to our regulatory functions”.

Recent cases include a challenge to Natural England’s decision to allow tree felling at Jones’ Hill Wood in Buckinghamshire by HS2 contractors, which opponents said would disturb bats.

The case, brought by Mark Keir, reached the High Court in April, but was unsuccessful.

Natural England has also faced a challenge over its badger cull policy, with a case reaching the High Court in July.

Groups including the Badger Trust argued that government policy to allow badger culls “causes ecological disturbance to the wider countryside”, but the case was dismissed in August, with a judge ruling that there was a “complete absence of any evidence that any change to culling policy was required in order to conserve biodiversity”.

Natural England is set up to be independent but has faced impartiality questions, with funding, press, communications and human resources controlled by the department for the environment, food and rural affairs.