The government will delay new environmental laws that require housebuilders to improve local nature and wildlife habitats when they build a development in existing green space.
The proposed rules are called “biodiversity net gain” and the principle is that developers cannot destroy the local environment and any development has to give extra provisions for nature. The rules that state building projects must result in 10% net gain were supposed to be introduced this year and would have provided funding for many wildlife charities from developers’ profits.
Sources at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities confirmed the delay and said the legislation should come into force in the new year.
Earlier this month ministers attempted to rip up rules that stop developers from adding additional sewage pollution to sensitive areas but were thwarted, at least temporarily, after defeats in the House of Lords.
Matthew Pennycook, Labour’s shadow levelling up minister, said: “Yet more uncertainty and disruption for housebuilders and councils as biodiversity net gain is pushed back to an unspecified date. Ministers have got to resolve the utter dysfunction that defines the government’s approach to housing and the environment.”
Richard Benwell, the CEO of the environmental coalition Wildlife and Countryside Link, said: “Net gain joins the chemicals strategy, deposit return scheme, extended producer responsibility, farming regulation and more in the Bermuda triangle of missing Defra environmental commitments. These delays are costly to local authorities, business and nature. That’s not to mention those that have been explicitly delayed – electric cars, home heating and harmonised waste collection. How can businesses and communities plan properly when so many commitments are missing or missed? What chance of halting nature loss if policies are lost?”
Sue Young, the head of land use planning for the Wildlife Trusts group of charities, said the delay would “cause uncertainty for developers and could affect the quality of schemes”.
“Attempts to delay or weaken rules for biodiversity net gain would deliver yet another hammer blow for nature from the current UK government,” she added.
Philip Box, the UK green building council’s public affairs and policy adviser, told the BBC: “Businesses from across the industry and our membership have raised concerns regarding any potential delay. This would be exceptionally damaging for them in terms of projected work pipelines, investment, supply chains and related job roles.”
Last week, the Lords’ built environment committee said the government is “failing to deliver for either side” in its approach to competing demands for new homes and environmental protection.