UK (Parliament Politics Magazine) – Labour’s plan to ease biodiversity rules for small builders risks destroying 215,000 hectares of nature in England, putting recovery efforts at risk.
As reported by The Guardian, a report warns that relaxing rules for small builders may lead to development on land the size of the Yorkshire Dales over 10 years without replacing lost nature.
The government plans to scrap the rule for small builders, defined as sites under 2.5 acres, exempting them from restoring nature lost during construction under biodiversity net gain laws.
What did Eftec reveal about small developers and nature loss?
According to Eftec’s analysis, Labour’s proposals would exempt 97% of planning approvals, 76,800 out of 79,300 annually, from replacing destroyed nature. This move could have serious consequences for biodiversity recovery.
Over the next ten years, developers could build on more than 215,000 hectares, an area the size of the Yorkshire Dales, without replacing lost natural habitats.
The report added,
“The scale of misuse across different sizes of planning applications suggests the de minimis exemption may be being intentionally misinterpreted.”
What did Richard Benwell say about biodiversity net gain?
Richard Benwell, from Wildlife and Countryside Link, which collaborated with the Lifescape Project on the research, said,
“Biodiversity net gain is a hugely important principle: industries that harm nature should contribute to its recovery.”
He added,
“The proposal to drastically widen the number of exempt small sites from the system would be a return to the bad old days of damaging development and torpedo confidence in private investment in nature recovery.”
What did Joan Edwards say about scrapping biodiversity rules?
Wildlife Trusts’ Joan Edwards warned that shifting biodiversity policy after only 13 months could undermine private investment and damage the 2030 goals.
Ms Edwards added,
“Scrapping biodiversity net gain for small sites would be a spectacular own goal. Nothing undermines private-sector confidence more than a government that chops and changes the rules on a whim.”
What did Robert Oates say about the risk of scrapping biodiversity rules?
Robert Oates, CEO and founder of ecological consultancy Arbtech, said,
“The government’s proposal to weaken biodiversity net gain for small sites threatens both its goals: supporting nature recovery and accelerating housebuilding.”
He added,
“Small site biodiversity net gain has only been in place for 13 months, yet developers and businesses have spent years preparing for it. U-turns like this create damaging instability. Developers need certainty, not another policy rewrite.”
What did the government spokesperson say about biodiversity net gain?
A government spokesperson said,
“This government is fully committed to biodiversity net gain and this consultation explores easier, quicker and cheaper routes to deliver gains for both developers and nature. We are also consulting on how biodiversity net gain should be applied to nationally significant infrastructure projects to provide a clear framework that ensures major new developments deliver for nature and contribute to our legally binding targets.”
How can the UK tackle nature loss if small sites are exempt?
Biodiversity laws were introduced to tackle the UK’s deepening nature decline.
The UK is among the world’s most nature-depleted countries. The government has pledged to protect 30% of land and sea by 2030 to support recovery.
From February 2024, developers of large projects were required to boost biodiversity by 10%. The same rule applied to small sites starting in April 2024.
According to the report, scrapping biodiversity rules for small-scale builders, who dominate planning in England, would make the scheme virtually meaningless.
How many developers claimed exemptions from biodiversity rules?
The biodiversity net gain policy was designed for widespread use.
But a study found that 69,500 out of 80,400 planning approvals between March 2024 and February 2025 claimed exemptions, raising concerns about developer abuse.
What did economists recommend that Labour change in the BNG rules?
Economists said Labour should refine its proposed changes to enhance the system’s efficiency.
They suggested that exemptions apply only to developments under 0.1 hectares, aligning with the official classification of “very small sites.” It seeks to block major sites from exploiting a loophole to bypass biodiversity net gain rules.