The government has broken its promise to protect nature by weakening planning rules for housing developers, groups have said.
Although once upon a time developers had to create “biodiversity net gain” (BNG)which means creating 10% more space for nature on site than there was before construction began, Housing Minister Matthew Pennycook announced exceptions to this rule on Tuesday.
According to the new rules, developments with an area of less than 0.2 hectares are exempt from the policy. Analysis from Wildlife The Trusts found that this means a combined area across England the size of Windsor Forest will now not be restored to nature.
The move is part of a larger package of measures aimed at helping the Government meet its target of building 1.5 million homes by the end of Parliament. This includes a default yes to suitable homes being built around railway stations and a possible building safety levy exemption for small and medium-sized housebuilders.
Wildlife Trusts chief executive Craig Bennett has accused Housing Minister Steve Reid of breaking a promise to him. He said: “In January this year, when he was environment secretary, Steve Reid made a solemn promise that the government was 'committed to a net increase in biodiversity'. Now, as housing minister, he has broken his word.”
Environmental groups also complain that the rule change threatens private investment in nature. Private firms have already made £320 million in habitat restoration efforts since the BNG rules were introduced in February 2024.
Becky Speight, chief executive of the RSPB, said: “The decision to exempt sites of less than 0.2 hectares from BNG flies in the face of the UK Government's promise to be 'the most nature-conscious government this country has ever had'. It is a blow to nature, local communities and business confidence in the future of BNG.”
Wildlife and Countryside Link warned that exempting so many small properties could still “completely ruin the policy”, especially when England's planning system is dominated by small developments. Around 95% of planning applications are for sites smaller than 1 hectare, 88% up to 0.5 hectares and 77% up to 0.2 hectares.
Reid said: “Right now we see a planning system that still doesn't work very well. A system that says 'no' more often than it says 'yes' and which prefers to obstruct rather than build.”
“This has real implications for those aspiring to own a home, and for those hoping to escape so-called temporary housing – we owe it to the people of this country to do everything we can to build the homes they deserve.”
These plans could reduce the need for existing BNG delivery facilities. Pennycook announced the government will consult on how to ensure the system supports brownfield development first, while making it easier and cheaper to create biodiverse habitats off-site through simplified rules.
The government is currently consulting on whether and how nationally significant infrastructure projects such as airports, roads and incinerators should provide a net gain in biodiversity.
Conservationists said ministers must maintain high levels of support for these projects to prevent widespread habitat destruction.
Richard Benwell, chief executive of Wildlife and Countryside Link, said: “To deliver on its election promise to halt the decline of wildlife, the government must tighten green economy rules, not cut them.
“Until now, this has been a parliament of delays and unrelenting threats to deregulation against nature. A public outcry for net gain should be the last chance to wake up that environmental promises were not a bonus at the ballot box. Restoring nature and stopping pollution is a key test of government's credibility, and it's time to act.”
