Today [Thursday 10 April] The Wildlife Trusts have published a briefing, urging the Government to ‘fill in the blanks’ to avoid the Planning & Infrastructure Bill undermining vital nature protections.
The Bill is currently passing through Parliament and as it does, there is ample opportunity for Ministers to deliver on a promise to collaborate with the nature sector and ‘plug the gaps’ to avoid environmental regression. Failure to do so would risk leaving positive progress under threat.
A key pillar of the Government’s commitments to delivering a ‘win-win’ for nature and development rest with the Nature Restoration Fund and up front funding for Natural England.
Becky Pullinger, head of land use planning at The Wildlife Trusts, says: “Ministers have pointed to a willingness to ‘pump-prime’ the Nature Restoration Fund – but where is the money coming from, and how will this be deployed? Beyond this willingness, the lack of true safeguards for nature is deeply concerning - we expected and needed to hear so much more detail.”
This week, The Wildlife Trusts joined together with Wildlife and Countryside Link and a coalition of environment organisations in writing to Defra Secretary of State Steve Reed and Housing Minister Matthew Pennycook to highlight the ‘urgent repairs’ needed to the new planning reforms.
The Wildlife Trusts are concerned that with nature in decline and nature recovery targets currently due to be missed, it would be disastrous if instead of a ‘win-win for development and for nature’, we arrive at a ‘lose-lose’ scenario.
We urge Minsters to accept essential additions to avoid damaging confusion and uncertainty across the development sector.
Posted On: 10/04/2025
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