Better planning needs real solutions, not blame games 

The recently published Planning and Infrastructure Bill claims that:

‘The Bill will not have the effect of reducing the level of environmental protection provided for by any existing environmental law.’

However, today’s statement suggests otherwise. While we are still reviewing the full impact of the Bill, it appears the government intends to use it to weaken protections, contradicting their own policy commitments.

The idea that cutting environmental protections will speed up development is a myth. Deregulation may benefit a small number of developers in the short term, but in the long run, it leads to delays, financial waste, and environmental harm.

As our CEO, Kit Stoner, has stated: “Sustained economic growth depends upon a healthy natural environment. Removing protections for bats, other wildlife and habitats will have direct negative impacts on our economy as well as people’s health and wellbeing. The government must work properly with nature charities to develop pragmatic and sustainable ways of addressing these issues, not change the law.”

Multiple independent government reviews have confirmed that wildlife protections are not the issue – poor planning and weak enforcement are.

Take the HS2 ‘bat tunnel’ as an example, where HS2 and previous governments did not carry out a timely strategic environmental assessment. This could have identified viable alternatives that could have avoided significant expenditure and delay. You can read more about HS2 here: Nature vs Growth? The false choice threatening our future.

The government appears determined to sacrifice the natural world unnecessarily to win short term gains. As Sir David Attenborough said: ‘It is our responsibility to do everything within our power to create a planet that provides a home not just for us, but for all life on Earth.’

We support updating Natural England’s standing advice, and in fact, we recommended this. However, the suggestion that the reference to the Bat Survey Guidelines should be removed entirely is alarming.

These guidelines were developed through months of consultation with leading bat experts and government agencies. They provide a flexible, evidence-based framework to ensure developments are both practical and environmentally responsible.

Good planning protects nature and enables development. Scrapping these guidelines would create confusion and increase delays, not reduce them.

Kit Stoner emphasised the importance of the Bat Survey Guidelines, stressing that they provide essential best practice while allowing for professional judgment in specific cases: ‘The Bat Survey Guidelines are not an instruction manual but provide a baseline for good practice; they give scope for skilled professionals to differ in their approach for situations where that can be justified using their experience and expert opinions. The ability to deviate from the guidance with justification is the aspect that needs further clarification in the standing advice. It is inconceivable that this guidance is just removed without any consultation or explanation.’

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