The government is rolling back some nature protections to speed up housing production. In England, ministers are reviewing Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) rules, which require builders to offset the loss of wildlife habitats on new developments. Proposals to widen exemptions for certain projects triggered strong criticism from nature charities, who warned this could slow nature recovery.
As part of a broader reform of planning rules, the government says the changes will help reach its goal of delivering 1.5 million new homes during this Parliament. The National Planning Policy Framework is being updated to include a default “yes” stance for planning applications near rail hubs and to require new builds to incorporate wildlife-friendly features, such as swift bricks, to support local ecosystems.
Housing minister Matthew Pennycook argued the reforms would help get Britain building again, acknowledging they will face critics. He contended that action was necessary amid a housing emergency in parts of the country and that the government would act where previous administrations did not.
Under the revised BNG rules, developments under 2,000 square meters are exempt, a move the government says will make it easier to develop smaller sites and is estimated to affect about 12,500 homes annually. Nature campaigners remain wary, calling the concession “hollowing out” of a key protection policy, though some said the exemptions are narrower than first proposed.
Richard Benwell, CEO of Wildlife and Countryside Link, described the measure as damage limitation rather than leadership for nature. The sector has argued that BNG adds costs and can slow planning, especially for smaller developers, potentially making some projects unviable.
Industry representatives have echoed concerns. Rico Wojtulewicz of the National Federation of Builders told the BBC that biodiversity net gain has made construction more expensive and slower without delivering the hoped-for ecological benefits.
A government consultation in May explored options, including exempting sites up to 10,000 square meters (roughly one or two football fields). Emma Toovey, chief nature officer at Environment Bank, which develops habitat banks for off-site restoration, cautioned that more exemptions could reduce nature within developments and limit funding for broader landscape recovery.
Additionally, the government plans to consult on expanding exemptions for brownfield sites up to 25,000 square meters and to introduce measures aimed at making it easier, faster, and cheaper for medium-sized developments to deliver off-site nature improvements.
