More than 5,000 of England's most sensitive natural habitats are at high risk of destruction under Labour's new planning bill, according to legal analysis. The Guardian identified 5,251 protected areas, including the New Forest, Surrey heaths, and the Peak District moors, that could be affected. The bill aims to build 1.5 million homes and 150 major infrastructure projects to address the housing crisis and boost economic growth.
Three separate legal opinions, including from the government's Office for Environmental Protection (OEP), argue the bill rolls back environmental protections. Alex Goodman KC stated that the bill would require any adverse impacts on protected sites to be 'disregarded', withdrawing the principal legal safeguard. OEP chair Glenys Stacey called the provisions 'a regression'.
Key concerns focus on part three of the bill, which allows developers to bypass environmental obligations by paying into a nature restoration fund. This mechanism has been criticised as a 'pay to pollute' scheme. The government insists the bill does not weaken protections, but nature groups have threatened judicial review against housing secretary Angela Rayner.
Threatened sites include Lodge Hill in Kent, a nightingale stronghold; a 2,600-year-old wetland in Devon; and ancient woodlands in Kent. The affected areas cover just under 8% of England's land, including 4,100 Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) and 71 Ramsar wetlands.
