Government planning reforms out of touch with public demand for nature

11 July 2025

Environment groups are urging Government to listen to concerns about the Planning Bill from the public and make changes needed to protect and restore nature and community greenspace, as a new YouGov poll reveals Brits don’t see wildlife as a blocker to development.

Contrary to claims that wildlife planning restrictions are stopping development, the new findings show that very few members of the public believe this is contributing to building delays. Results revealed that people believe that protecting greenspace and wildlife should be a priority in the planning system.

• Of those who said they are concerned that infrastructure developments are being built too slowly (26%), very few members of the public (only 1%) felt that the reason for this is wildlife restrictions being too strict – this was the least cited factor for delays.
• Respondents were much more likely to blame developers delaying to benefit from future price rises (29%) and objections from local communities (22%). Protecting local greenspace and wildlife (51%) is the public’s second-highest priority for planning and development of new housing estates, surpassed only by the provision of new local amenities (such as schools and hospitals) (74%).
• Delivering high quality developments (41%) and building developments that suit the needs of the local area (40%) also ranked highly as priorities for the public in the planning system.

The Planning Bill is framed around accelerating housebuilding and infrastructure as quickly as possible, at the expense of nature and community protections with the Bill as currently drafted. But public priorities are clearly focused on quality, sustainability, local amenities, and the protection of local nature and green spaces. Measures that weaken environmental safeguards, and the Government’s narrative of nature as a ‘blocker’ risk running counter to public opinion and undermining the values that communities care about most. The Government has wrongly identified nature protections as the problem in the planning system and that has led to the wrong ‘solutions’ in this legislation – meaning Part 3 of the Bill must be improved or removed.

Richard Benwell, CEO of Wildlife and Countryside Link, said: “Anyone peddling the idea that nature is a blocker to development is out of touch. Wildlife and planning experts have known for a long time that nature laws don’t stand in the way of development. Now it’s clear that the public know it too and won’t stand for bats, newts, spiders or any other wildlife being made a scapegoat for failures in the planning system.

“Nature is clearly a top public priority for development, so Government should take note and make sure our need for nature is reflected in its planning reforms. The Planning Bill should be amended bring it in line with public demand for environmentally-positive, responsible development.”

Darren Moorcroft, CEO of the Woodland Trust said: “We are calling on government to listen to the British public and swiftly add amendments to the Bill that will protect our priceless, ancient trees and woodlands, before irreversible damage is done to our towns, cities and landscapes. We are asking them to work with us to add key safeguards for our natural environment while delivering the sustainable development England needs.”

Sarah Fowler, Chief Executive of WWT, said: “We know that nature is the builder of healthy, equal and resilient communities – not the blocker. And now polling clearly shows that the public know this too.

“Communities flourish with nature on their doorstep. Both blue and green spaces – like wetlands – are where connections are made, where work and home are brought together, and where both people and wildlife can thrive. But these planning proposals risk leading us down a dangerous path, where we lose both treasured habitats and access to them for all of us.

“The government now has a unique opportunity to create a new generation of healthy communities across the country – the only way to get this right will be to work with nature, not against it.”

Kit Stoner, CEO of the Bat Conservation Trust, said: “We can build homes and protect nature if we plan properly. But instead of fixing real inefficiencies, this Bill shifts blame onto bats and other wildlife, risking greater harm without real solutions. The public sees through this false choice. Let’s be clear: nature protections aren’t blocking development. Politicians know it, their own data shows it, and the public knows it too. Weakening environmental laws won’t build more homes — but it will cost us our natural heritage.”

The Planning and Infrastructure Bill would weaken environmental laws that safeguard protected nature sites and threatened species. The Office for Environmental Protection (the official nature watchdog) has warned that current proposals would be a “regression” in protection for nature.

Environment groups are calling for the Government to urgently change tack and accept amendments to ensure that planning decisions are based on science, avoid harm to nature wherever possible, and ensure a net gain for biodiversity. Any less would be a step backwards, and a step away from the values of voters.

The organisations want to see the government supporting amendments which will ensure that the Bill does not reduce protection for nature. If the Government does not take such action to improve the Bill, nature organisations say Part 3 should be removed. Necessary improvements to the Bill include a commitment to:

• Guarantee results: The current law demands a high level of legal and scientific certainty for environmental protection. However, the Bill only requires conservation measures to be “likely” to succeed. The Bill should include a strict legal duty for Government to ensure that benefits are delivered and significantly outweigh harm.
• Avoid harm: Existing rules require developers to avoid damage to protected wildlife wherever possible. The Bill drops this in favour of an offsetting model. Future planning rules must ensure that harm in the first instance must be avoided wherever possible.
• Follow the science: Environmental Delivery Plans should only apply to new protected features where there's solid scientific evidence they work, and there should be a clear schedule for nature improvements.
• Make planning Wilder By Design: We need a legal duty for Councils to help meet climate and nature targets, strong national and marine plans, and low-cost, nature-friendly design like bee and bird bricks in new developments.

Notes to Editors:

• All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. Total sample size was 2,104 adults. Fieldwork was undertaken between 21st-22nd May 2025. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all UK adults (aged 18+)
• “Planning & Development: Nature isn’t the problem” – A report by The Wildlife Trusts (published 22 May 2025) showing that bats and great crested newts were a factor in only 3 % of planning appeal decisions, reinforcing that nature protections are rarely a bottleneck for development. Additionally, Government’s own impact assessment (Planning & Infrastructure Bill) – Published on 6 May 2025 (eight weeks late), explicitly states: “There is very limited data on how environmental obligations affect development.” (See Annex 10: Nature Restoration Fund, paragraph 36)