Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust condemn planning reforms

A consultation has been launched on the government's proposal to amend Biodiversity Net Gain requirements for housebuilders on small and medium-sized sites in a move to build houses faster. 

The policy change has been widely condemned by environmentalists, with the CEO of the Wildlife Trust which covers Oxfordshire saying the changes will leave "future generations living in dwellings devoid of nature".

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Reforms designed to boost the market for smaller developers were announced by Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner at a site visit for a housing development near Didcot in late May.

Deputy PM Angela Rayner announced the reforms on a site visit near Didcot earlier this year (Image: Jordan Pettitt/PA Wire) The government's proposal included "eased" biodiversity requirements for smaller sites of 10 homes or  less and "simplified" requirements for sites between 10 and 49 homes, as well as more land kept in reserve for smaller developments and reforms to the use of brownfield sites.

This is designed to boost small developers, who's share share of the market has declined from 38 per cent in 1988 to just 10 per cent in 2020.

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But the Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust (BBOWT) said the plan hasn't been though through. 

Estelle Bailey MBE, chief executive of BBOWT, said: "This is an alarming and short sighted proposal from a government that just months ago promised to put nature at the heart of development.

"Here in Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire, smaller housing developments often take place in or near treasured wild spaces that are home to declining species like hedgehogs, bats and wild bees.

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"Removing Biodiversity Net Gain requirements would not only jeopardise the survival of these habitats, without any obligation to restore or replace them, but it would also see generations to come living in dwellings devoid of nature."

Matthew Stanton, BBOWT’s director of external affairs and land recovery, added: "Letting some developers off the hook now punishes those who’ve done the right thing.

"It undermines the trust and momentum we’ve been building locally. It tells communities that nature doesn’t matter unless it’s big or easy to quantify, which is the opposite of what we need during a nature and climate crisis.

"Biodiversity Net Gain isn’t just about numbers, it’s about making sure that new homes are good places to live. Stripping the requirement from small developments is a clear backward step that we urge the Government to reconsider."

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A spokesperson for the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said: "This Government inherited a failed planning system that blocks infrastructure and does little for nature’s recovery.

"We are fully committed to Biodiversity Net Gain and making it work even more effectively for developers and for nature.

"That is why our consultation explores easier, quicker, and cheaper routes for developers to deliver gains for nature."