UK (Parliament Politics Magazine) – Labour ministers held multiple meetings with developers over planning reforms, while ecologists were largely excluded, raising concerns over wildlife protections.
As reported by The Guardian, campaigners revealed heavy developer lobbying of Labour ministers over planning reforms, raising concerns about environmental protections.
The government unveiled its planning and infrastructure bill in March, with Chancellor Rachel Reeves and Housing Minister Matthew Pennycook holding repeated meetings with developers before and after its release. The organization representing ecologists has had no meetings with ministers despite multiple appeals.
The planning bill is set to reach its final stage and receive royal assent, after months of debate among ministers, nature groups, and ecologists.
The government planned to scrap regulations to enable 1.5 million new homes by parliament’s end, aiming to drive growth.
Peers have secured an amendment in the final stages of the bill, protecting valuable species and habitats, including dormice, nightingales, hedgehogs, wetlands, and ancient woodlands from development.
What did peers and ecologists say about access to ministers on planning?
Katherine Willis, the peer behind the Lords’ amendment on behalf of nature groups and ecologists, said it would protect wildlife while easing constraints for developers. She called on MPs to back the amended bill next week.
Ms Willis added,
“It provides a pragmatic way out of what are the real things that are blocking development and is a win-win amendment because it will help developers build houses, but also means that the vast majority of nature, the things the public really care about, will be protected.”
The government has signalled minimal willingness to compromise, enforcing party discipline against MPs and suspending a Labour member who backed nature protections.
According to reports, developers have held months of direct meetings with the chancellor and ministers, while ecologists have largely been unable to engage with policymakers.
Sally Hayns, the chief executive of the Chartered Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management, said,
“We asked for a meeting early on, and were initially turned down. We asked again in July and finally had a meeting in the autumn with civil servants. We haven’t had a face-to-face meeting with a minister at all.”
She stated that her group’s ecologists collaborated with developers and played a key role in advancing projects, but their input was frequently overlooked.
Ms Hayns said,
“There is a very low level of ecological literacy being displayed by ministers. Nothing I have seen or heard gives me comfort that Rachel Reeves understands the importance of nature to economic and social wellbeing, nothing.”
She continued,
“I believe this will come back to bite them in the local elections. Nature and protecting it is an issue that people care about.”
What did Joan Edwards say about MPs backing the planning bill amendment?
Joan Edwards, director of policy and public affairs at the Wildlife Trusts, said it was vital that the amendment to disarm the most damaging aspects of the planning bill was supported by MPs in the Commons next week.
She added,
“The evidence is unequivocal and a consensus is growing: nature is not a blocker to development and the government should stop pretending otherwise … this is the last chance saloon for MPs to ensure that the planning and infrastructure bill rolls out development and growth that brings genuine benefits for people and wildlife.”
What Did the Housing Ministry Say About Planning Bill Claims?
A spokesperson for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government stated,
“We completely reject these claims. Minister Pennycook attended two meetings with environmental groups on the planning and infrastructure bill in recent months, while the secretary of state also held a number of meetings with environmental NGOs during his time at Defra.”
They added,
“This engagement has helped to shape the development and passage of the planning and infrastructure bill, which will remove barriers to building vital new homes and infrastructure and achieve a win-win for the economy and nature. We will consider our next steps as the bill returns to the Commons and leave no stone unturned to get Britain building faster.”
What did Steve Reed say about Britain’s planning system?
Steve Reed, the housing secretary, stated,
“Britain’s potential has been shackled by governments unwilling to overhaul the stubborn planning system that has erected barriers to building at every turn. It is simply not true that nature has to lose for economic growth to succeed.”
He added,
“Sluggish planning has real-world consequences. Every new house blocked deprives a family of a home. Every infrastructure project that gets delayed blocks someone from a much-needed job. This will now end.”
How are Labour ministers engaging developers amid planning controversy?
According to Treasury records, Rachel Reeves held high-level talks with housebuilders Berkeley, Barratt, and Taylor Wimpey, and has continued multiple meetings with developers.
Ms Reeves repeatedly supports reducing nature rules, targeting wildlife such as bats, newts, and spiders that may hinder builders.
At a JP Morgan tech conference, the Chancellor claimed to have cleared a 20,000-home project stalled over a protected snail, following a developer’s request. Natural England had previously blocked it due to water concerns in Sussex.
Housing Minister Matthew Pennycook has held multiple meetings with developers such as Vistry, Berkeley, Barratt, and Taylor Wimpey, focusing on housing supply and planning reform.
Mr Pennycook’s engagement with wildlife and nature groups has been limited. Over the past year, he held four meetings: three with Wildlife and Countryside Link, and one with groups such as the Campaign to Protect Rural England.
Defra ministers have engaged with environmental groups, but oversight of the bill falls to Mr Pennycook’s department.
In Devon, Vistry is constructing 1,200 homes, bringing machinery within feet of a 2,000-year-old protected wetland. The firm seeks to have planning restrictions lifted and says it is in contact with Labour housing ministers to remove “current blockages.”