A Court of Appeal judgment earlier this month could prove a significant development in legal efforts to hold the government to its duty to protect the environment, according to The Office for Environmental Protection.
The Court upheld a complaint brought by a group of fishermen in North Yorkshire, who accused the government of failing to protect and restore the ecosystem of the polluted Costa Beck near Pickering.
Speaking to the Worshipful Company of Water Conservators Election Court on 15 April, Natalie Prosser, chief executive of the OEP, said her organisation was studying the judgment closely and that it had “significant precedent value”.
She also told her audience at Tallow Chandler’s Hall in the City of London that the government is failing “pretty comprehensively” to meet its own legally binding targets for environmental standards. She described the conclusions of her office’s annual review of government policy, published in January, as “a pretty despondent finding”.
The Office found progress towards improving the environment has slowed, with government still largely off track in achieving its legal commitments. The OEP is currently investigating several areas in which it believes the government is failing to meet its legal duties, including a possible breach by DEFRA of its obligation to maintain the good environmental status of marine waters.
For further information contact Nick Higham, highamnews@gmail.com
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