Written question asked by Theresa Villiers (Conservative) on Monday, 20 April 2020, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 27 April 2020 (named day). It was answered by Rebecca Pow (Conservative) on Monday, 27 April 2020 on behalf of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Roads: Environment

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the term Other structures used in clause 41(c) of the Environment Bill 2020 includes roads.

Answer: Clause 41(c) excludes ‘Buildings and other structures’ from the definition of the ‘natural environment’ in the Bill. However, individual types of buildings and structures are not specified on the face of the Bill. It will be for the Secretary of State and the Office for Environmental Protection to interpret this definition for the purposes of implementing Chapters 1 and 2 of the Bill respectively, based on the details of the specific issue before them and the clause which they are implementing through any particular decision. If a dispute arises about the interpretation of these provisions, the courts may ultimately provide a judgment on the matter.

Secondary information