Angela Rayner, in her role as Housing, Communities and Local Government Secretary is supposedly the champion of “getting Britain building”. Yesterday she personally blocked a major development project on the grounds it might disturb some birds. Portsmouth City Council’s proposal covered a 58,000 sqm marine employment hub, 1,000 new homes, flood defences, and a bridge linking Tipner West to Horsea Island East. The whole package was vetoed at Rayner’s say-so…

Her department’s letter to the council set out the official reasoning:

“The Secretary of State notes that development schemes in Habitats sites can result in the disturbance of qualifying SPA / Ramsar bird species… Noise and visual disturbance arising from construction activities may result in behavioural changes (e.g. fligh

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