Measures to unblock much-needed infrastructure projects whilst supporting nature recovery at scale will be included in proposals for the Planning and Infrastructure Bill this year, the Government announced on 22 January as part its Plan for Change.

As set out in the Planning Reform Working Paper: Development and Nature Recovery, the proposals are expected to be supportive of mandatory Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) planning obligation in England.

BNG incentivises nature positive choices on development sites, with a developing private marketplace for off-site biodiversity units which the government continues to fully support. This means that where a developer engages with the Nature Restoration Fund to address a specific environmental impact, the biodiversity gain requirement will continue to apply.

Planning proposals to unblock vital infrastructure and drive nature’s recovery