𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

Labour’s “build baby build” mission could speed up nature decline “to the point of no return”, the chiefs of two major wildlife charities have warned.

Beccy Speight, chief executive of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) and Wildlife Trusts boss Craig Bennett accused the Labour government of “creating a perfect storm” of threats to nature.

Ms Speight said: “Nature is in freefall. Wildlife that once thrived across England is now confined to reserves, stripped from our everyday lives. 

“We’re losing something precious, something vital to our health and wellbeing. Four years after all parties promised to start nature’s recovery, we should be celebrating bold action. Instead, we’ve wasted months fighting a ‘developer’s charter’ that drags us backwards.  

“This isn’t acceptable to us or our 1.2 million members. Government must stop scapegoating nature for economic woes – bats and newts account for just 3% of planning appeals. The real barriers are poor policy, land banking and skills shortages.”

The charities – which represent over two million people combined –  warned the government’s rush to build 1.5 million new homes by 2029 threatens pushing nature “to the point of no return”.

They added that two thirds of Britons want developers to protect nature, and nearly three-quarters would back politicians who champion integrating housing with the natural world. 

The groups are demanding that ministers “fix” their Planning and Infrastructure Bill and reconsider weakening Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) rules – which require that development projects in England deliver at least a 10% increase in biodiversity compared to the pre-development state

England is one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world, with an average decline of 32% in the abundance of land and freshwater species since 1970.

Mr Bennett said: “The Government has shown a breathtaking lack of consistency on protecting nature. In January ministers said they were fully committed to the scheme through which developers pay to restore nature – but now they’re proposing to torpedo plans for Biodiversity Net Gain. Politicians only have themselves to blame for lack of private sector finance for nature recovery – their constant flip flopping is ruining business confidence.

“Also, the Planning Bill threatens to remove the internationally recognised principle of the mitigation hierarchy from the planning process – that means removing strict protection for those bits of nature that can’t be replaced from the planning process. Yet Labour promised to ‘save nature’ when it came to power. How can we trust anything they say? They appear intent on a historic betrayal of nature, of cherished wild places and of the nature-loving British public. This has to stop.”

A Government spokesman said: “We inherited a failing system that has held up the construction of vital homes and infrastructure, blocking growth and doing nothing for nature’s recovery.

“Our Planning and Infrastructure Bill creates a win-win for the economy and nature – delivering better outcomes for the environment and helping us build 1.5 million homes to restore the dream of homeownership.”