The Government has been warned against “opening the door” to development that harms nature as it set out reforms for how infrastructure schemes meet environmental rules.
Under the proposals, infrastructure developers would be able to pay into a central fund to support nature, instead of having to identify and meet obligations to limit or compensate for harm habitats and species on a site-by-site basis before they get planning permission.
The Government will set up a “nature restoration fund” which will pool resources from developers, and it would then be up to an agency such as Natural England to secure benefits to nature on a “strategic” rather than individual site basis.
The plans aim to allow infrastructure builders to pay in to meet their environmental obligations faster, speeding up projects such as new wind farms, railways, roads, gigafactories and data centres across the country.
In many cases, a single payment will enable development to go ahead, the Government said.
These reforms will unblock infrastructure projects while protecting the natural environment we all depend on
The changes will be included in proposals for the Planning and Infrastructure Bill this year.
Ministers argue that the current system blocks development of much-needed infrastructure while not delivering for nature.
Deputy Prime Minister and Housing Secretary Angela Rayner said: “We have inherited a failing system that has seen vital infrastructure being held up year after year, while witnessing the devastating decline of our natural environment, precious wildlife and protected species.
“That’s why we are taking a new approach to reversing this decline, striking the right balance so developers can meet their environmental obligations at pace while removing needless barriers to build the infrastructure that local communities are crying out for.”
Environment Secretary Steve Reed said: “These reforms will unblock infrastructure projects while protecting the natural environment we all depend on.
“We can now look forward to 150 key infrastructure projects going ahead within the next few years while also providing more funding to protect and restore nature.”
The Habitats Regulations and other environmental obligations on developers have repeatedly come under scrutiny by governments keen to speed up the construction of infrastructure and housing, from George Osborne’s review of the policy in 2011 to Sir Keir Starmer’s recent criticism of bat tunnels.
Under no circumstances should the Government's proposals open the door to unsustainable developments in return for vague promises of future gains
Richard Benwell, chief executive of the Wildlife and Countryside Link coalition of environmental and countryside charities, said the planning system could help the Government make good on its manifesto commitment to restore the natural world.
“But it must protect the fragile and the precious, deliver developments that are wilder by design and dedicate enough space for our critical natural infrastructure to thrive,” he urged.
“Done badly, reforms to the Habitats Regulations could be disastrous for nature.
“Under no circumstances should the Government’s proposals open the door to unsustainable developments in return for vague promises of future gains.
“But done well, there’s a real opportunity here to improve the way developers fulfil environmental rules while multiplying investment and protection for nature recovery,” he said.
