The new Planning and Infrastructure Bill must help deliver nature’s recovery

Earlier in March, the UK Government introduced a new Planning and Infrastructure Bill. The UK Government says it wants the planning system to unlock economic growth, and the bill aims to speed up the delivery of new infrastructure, renewable energy, and the building of 1.5 million new houses by 2029.

The Government has also said it wants a planning system that revives our natural world and has claimed the Bill offers huge opportunities to restore nature.

Unfortunately, our assessment of what’s in the Bill is that this is simply not true. In fact, new powers proposed in the Bill could even weaken existing environmental protections and move us even further away from nature’s recovery.

In recent speeches, both Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Chancellor Rachel Reeves have pitted nature against development, even demonising wildlife like newts, bats and jumping spiders, so perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised.

As well as going against what nature needs, the PM and Chancellor are out of step with what most people want. An article in The Guardian showed that 71% of the public would support increased planning protections for green and blue spaces, including fields, woodland, community parks, national parks, rivers, lakes and streams.

We live in one of the most nature-depleted countries on earth, with one in six species currently at risk of extinction from the UK. So it is vital we get this piece of legislation right, as it will chart the course for how nature is treated by developers, planners, and government ministers for years to come. Badly planned homes and infrastructure can run roughshod over important and sensitive natural habitats.

To make the proposals deliver for nature we need to see some urgent changes to the Bill: 

1. The Nature Restoration Fund, as currently written, would seriously weaken vital nature protections, particularly the Habitats Regulations. A fund in the name of nature’s ‘restoration’ cannot permit the destruction of irreplaceable habitats.
   
   The Fund must ensure that the benefits for nature significantly outweigh harm caused by development. We need the Bill to include safeguards and guarantees to show how it will be applied.
2. A commitment to set out a long-term vision; for where to prioritise growth in England, where to safeguard land for nature recovery (including our irreplaceable natural habitats like peatlands and ancient woodlands), and areas we’ll use for tackling the impacts of climate change.
3. A legal duty to ensure all plans and planning decisions help to deliver the UK’s legally binding climate and nature targets.

Economic growth that undermines nature is not sustainable in the long term. Nature is the bedrock of our economy – it provides protection against natural disasters and the impacts of the climate crisis. It provides incredible green space for our mental and physical wellbeing. And it provides clean air and water, vital for all life.

It’s time to adopt a strategic, nature-friendly approach to planning that delivers our housing and clean energy needs and is up to the urgent challenge of restoring our natural world. The UK Government has legally binding commitments to halt the catastrophic decline of species in England by 2030 – the Bill can and must make a huge contribution to this.

During the Second Reading debate in Parliament on Monday 24 March, there were positive interventions from MPs about nature. Several referred to the important habitats in their constituencies, with some saying they support the position of the RSPB and other conservation organisations. And both sides of the debate recognised the scale of nature loss in the UK.

This shows that we can make ourselves heard. But we will need more people to add their voice to our campaign if we are to change the Bill. Please stand with us for nature.