Rishi Sunak unveils green plan ahead of Cop28

Package includes a new national park and protection for urban wildlife havens and trees

Walkers on Dartmoor, England. Rishi Sunak's plans include a new national park and two community forests. Getty Images

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Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has unveiled a new environmental package for Britain as he seeks to polish the country's green credentials ahead of Cop28.

It includes plans for a new national park and protection for urban wildlife havens and trees, with 34 new landscape recovery projects across England, covering more than 200,000 hectares of land, including woodlands, rainforests and sustainable food production.

It will also allocate more funding to connect children with nature and put nature at the “forefront of government efforts” to tackle climate change.

The package comes ahead of the Cop28 summit which starts in Dubai on Thursday.

The Prime Minister, who will attend the gathering, said he wanted to protect nature in towns and cities.

Conservation advisory body Natural England will consider locations for the new national park, with the government making the final decision next year.

Environment Secretary Steve Barclay told ITV's Good Morning Britain he wants it to be close to an urban area to maximise public access.

“I think one of the things we're looking at is perhaps access to national parks and whether it should be nearer to some urban centres, and I was talking to the chief exec of Natural England about this last night,” Mr Barclay said.

“So we're very open that it's not that the government is going to decide where this is. There'll be a process of consultation led by Natural England, working with government on it, but that's what we want to use the next year to decide.”

Two new community forests will be created in Derbyshire and the Tees Valley under the plans, which will also require local residents to be consulted before councils chop down trees.

Powers to legally demand consultations on any proposed felling were contained in the 2021 Environment Act but will now be enacted after rows over trees being cut down in cities including Plymouth and Sheffield.

The environmental push will also allocate £2.5 million to connect children with nature, and there will be £15 million to support national parks and national landscapes.

Sycamore Gap in 2022 and 2023

Mr Sunak has said he shared the nation's anger at the “vandalism” of the Sycamore Gap tree felling earlier this year, adding that it was essential to protect the country's green spaces.

Shadow environment secretary Steve Reed said the Conservative Party is overseeing the “destruction” of the British countryside.

“Under their watch, the UK is one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world, and waterways face the highest levels of illegal sewage discharges in our history,” he said.

The general secretary of the Prospect trade union, Mike Clancy, also took issue with the government's nature announcement.

“Bold-sounding initiatives can't hide the true state of our rivers, shorelines and natural landscapes,” he said.

Mr Clancy also hit out at Tory funding cuts to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, adding that the department's budget is expected to be cut by more than £500 million by the end of next year.

“Without adequate funding for the guardians of our natural environment, there is little chance the government's rhetoric will be able to meet its stated ambition,” he said.

Mr Sunak has come under heavy criticism in recent months over his U-turn on key green policies which saw a climbdown on several government commitments, including pushing back deadlines for drivers, householders and consumers to make carbon neutral choices.