Nature Restoration Fund launched to boost nature when building infrastructure

The government has announced measures intended to unblock infrastructure projects, whilst at the same time supporting nature recovery.

The measures will be included in proposals for the Planning and Infrastructure Bill.

The changes are designed to help deliver on the Government’s commitment to make 150 major infrastructure project decisions by the end of this Parliament, while also helping to halt and reverse the decline of species and natural habitats. It is hoped the reforms will help to speed up projects, such as wind farms, railways and roads, gigafactories and data centres across the country.

Currently, infrastructure projects must secure mitigation or compensation for environmental harm to some protected sites and species before being granted planning permission, adding costs and delays to the planning process.

The government is due to set up a Nature Restoration Fund enabling infrastructure builders to meet their environmental obligations faster and at greater scale. It will work by pooling contributions from developers to fund larger strategic interventions for nature.  

Environment Secretary Steve Reed said: "Nature and development have been unnecessarily pitted against each other for too long. This has blocked economic growth but done nothing for nature’s recovery. Communities and the environment deserve better than this broken status-quo.   

"As part of the Government’s Plan for Change, these reforms will unblock infrastructure projects while protecting the natural environment we all depend on.  We can now look forward to 150 key infrastructure projects going ahead within the next few years while also providing more funding to protect and restore nature.

Deputy Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Housing Angela Rayner said: "We have inherited a failing system that has seen vital infrastructure being held up year after year, while witnessing the devastating decline of our natural environment, precious wildlife, and protected species.  

"That’s why we are taking a new approach to reversing this decline, striking the right balance so developers can meet their environmental obligations at pace while removing needless barriers to build the infrastructure that local communities are crying out for.  

"This government’s Plan for Change will get Britain building and deliver win-win results for both development and the environment, which will not only guarantee a comeback for nature recovery but also higher living standards, more well-paying jobs, and greater prosperity for all."

The proposals have been set out in a new working paper with contributions from stakeholders including clean power and housing developers, communities, nature service providers and local authorities. The working paper will inform the next stage of policy development.   

Tony Juniper, chair of Natural England, said: "It is evident that we need to take urgent action to address the worsening decline of nature, and we must also lean into the challenges posed by housing and infrastructure shortages.

"We will continue to work with the Government to help deliver their plans – but the two key issues of today, nature and economic recovery, should not be pitted against one another, as we step up efforts to avoid losing what protected remnants of nature remain while also restoring some of what has gone.

"Instead, we should consider the huge opportunities which can be unlocked through better strategic planning which considers environmental improvements, economic development and green spaces for public enjoyment on a landscape scale."

 

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