January 2025
Since coming into power last summer, the new UK Government could not have been clearer that its priority is to grow the economy. To do this it will drive investment and delivery in new infrastructure and business and of course aims to build 1.5 million new houses during its term in office. So far, it has viewed the planning system as a primary obstacle to meeting these goals, with public statements making clear its intentions to support the ‘builders’ and not the ‘blockers’, and to put people before newts and bats.
On the face of it this presents a stark New Year’s message for nature, but what is really going on?
The UK Government is right that the planning system isn’t working well - including for nature. Positive reforms are needed. With a major overhaul coming down the track, there’s a huge opportunity here to deliver better outcomes for people and nature, and put our economy on a sustainable, long-term footing. That means not only protecting our most valuable places for nature, but also harnessing the planning system so that it drives ambitious action to restore nature at scale and properly resourcing those that could drive positive action, from Natural England to local authority environmental and planning teams.
So, where are we now?
Well, the first and immediate act of the new UK Government was to lift the effective moratorium on the development of onshore wind that had prevailed since 2015, and to commit to continuing with newly introduced strategic approaches to planning for a clean energy transition. An encouraging start for climate action, and an opportunity to ensure that nature is taken into account.
Since then, despite seeing the same continued strong public rhetoric from the Government, stakeholders have also had repeated assurances of its wish to use the planning system to drive nature’s recovery within the context of its overall economic growth ambitions. It has made clear its commitment to not rolling back on existing environmental protections and importantly, it has sought views and listened to a broad range of organisations, including those in the environment sector.
What does all that mean in practice?
The Government’s review of the National Planning Policy Framework published just before Christmas was an early indicator of the direction of travel. We saw the expected heavy emphasis on driving housing delivery including on degraded parts of the, often highly sensitive, Green Belt. Yet we saw no moves to erode the specific policies relating to nature and biodiversity, and actually a mild strengthening by encouraging nature-friendly building features for species such as swift and hedgehog. However - the NPPF missed some real opportunities - we need to go much further if we are to genuinely drive nature’s recovery through planning.
The reintroduction of strategic, or larger-than-local approaches to planning at a sub-regional level is something that the RSPB has long called for. To see this now emerge in the Devolution Bill is welcomed in principle. The key now is to ensure that these new Strategic Spatial Plans place nature at their core.
Just before Christmas, the Government gifted us the Planning Reform Working Paper on development and nature recovery. This proposes unblocking stalled planning consents by enabling required mitigations for specific targeted issues to be delivered by developers making payments into a new ‘Nature Recovery Fund’. This pot would be used to fund the implementation of strategic measures in line with a Delivery Plan prepared by an appropriate expert body. If done well this has the potential to enable nature-based solutions to address issues like Nutrient Neutrality, through for example investment in wetlands. However, possible diversions from the Mitigation Hierarchy; reducing the need for on-site ecological assessment; amending the Habitats Regulations and moving to an Environmental Outcomes Report based approach are bound to ring alarm bells.
There is very little detail right now to judge how this might work. The welcoming news is that the Government wants to hear positive suggestions from a range of organisations, to help it fill in the gaps and shape how this proposal could work in practice.
However, against a backdrop of anti-nature rhetoric from some senior parts of government, it requires a leap of faith. Our concern is based on years of witnessing good ideas be fatally undermined by weak enforcement and under-resourced regulators. The Government could hugely build confidence in its proposals by:
There are plenty more proposals in the pipeline too, including speeding-up application processes for major infrastructure; strategic planning for clean energy; and introducing a new Land Use Framework. The scale of this change presents a rare opportunity to transition to a genuinely nature-friendly system that meets the challenges of the nature and climate emergency. It’s vital that opportunity is seized.
So, will it be a bold new year for nature and planning?
Well, there is genuine cause for hope, but also concern.
With so much change on the horizon, it’s critical that the newly emerging planning system delivers for nature and not at its cost – that’s the only way to better, long-term outcomes for people, communities and the economy. That is why we, along with our partners in the Wildlife & Countryside Link coalition are calling on the Government to ensure that new planning policies are Wilder By Design. We need new rules to make this happen and more resources for overstretched planning authorities to deliver them - we won’t be afraid to hold government to account if necessary.
You can also take action yourself by sending an email to your MP today and sharing with them RSPB’s key priorities for nature friendly planning. Together, we can call on them to put nature at the heart of these reforms.
Carl Bunnage is RSPB’s Head of Nature Policy. Follow @Natures_Voice
The opinions expressed in this blog are the authors' and not necessarily those of the wider Link membership.
Latest Blog Posts