The government’s planning bill is a 'license to kill nature', writes National Trust Director Hilary McGrady

5 May 2025, 15:26 | Updated: 6 May 2025, 08:06

By Hilary McGrady

This Bank Holiday Monday, millions of people in the UK will be heading to their local park, woods or even to the countryside, in search of fresh air and green space.

A chance to clear the head, escape the humdrum of daily life, or spend time with loved ones. Put simply, we are a nation of nature lovers.

So, what if I told you that the very nature on our doorstep could be under threat from new planning legislation?

For the last month, the Planning and Infrastructure Bill has been making its way through parliament. It might sound dry, but this legislation could have a profound effect on our daily lives. Politicians have repeatedly promised the public a “win-win” for housing and nature, a way of meeting ambitious housing targets while simultaneously protecting the green spaces and wildlife that we need to thrive.

But increasingly, it seems, nature is being removed from the equation. Under the guise of cutting red tape and making development less “burdensome”, policymakers are now proposing laws that would, in the words of eminent academics, economists and scientists, act as ‘a license to kill nature’. On Friday, the Government’s own environmental watchdog confirmed these laws were a “regression” – a backwards step for nature.

The Bill in its current form would open the door to developers to build with little care for the environment. They wouldn't be required to understand or mitigate the impact of their building work on local rivers, meadows or wildlife. Instead of these important checks and balances, they could simply “offset” any harm by pouring money into a central pot, with no guarantee of when or where it’ll be spent.

What’s more, only a fortnight ago, policymakers announced plans to stop requiring developers to consult with local communities in the early stages of major infrastructure projects, like roads and railways, meaning the people whose lives will be most affected won’t get as much of a say. And, ironically, it even risks slowing up development, as poorly-conceived projects face more formal opposition down the line.

The Government says it won’t be deterred by a few bats and newts. But what’s at stake is far, far more than that. Much of it, on our doorstep.

Nature is etched into our daily lives. Our parks, canals, woods and gardens are the places we go to relax, to recover, to let the children play – even to let off steam. Nature gives us clean air, clean water, and a good quality of life, and study after study shows that accessing it makes us happier and healthier. It also draws visitors from around the world, engenders civic pride and boosts the economy; finance experts even predict that the ongoing degradation of nature could lead to a fall of 12% in GDP.  

But too much of our countryside close to towns and cities is giving way to bland, new housing developments. Parks and playing fields are already at risk of being lost. And in the 200 most disadvantaged urban areas of the country, 97% of people have no access to green or blue space within 15 minutes of home. City-dwellers are told to get out in nature more, to step away from our screens, to look after our mental health. But how can we get out into nature, if nature keeps getting further and further away?

Of course, we need more houses and better infrastructure, as this Government has so plainly set out. But those houses must be homes - homes that families can live in and enjoy living in. What we don’t need is a building free-for-all that eats into the scarce nature and green space we’ve got left, or soulless developments that are devoid of trees, playgrounds and parks.

With these new planning laws, the Government has a massive opportunity to protect and restore the nature that not only enriches our lives but, fundamentally, makes them liveable. We stand ready to work with them. But let’s be clear, as the Bill currently stands, it won’t do this. In fact, it risks doing the reverse.

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Hilary McGrady is Director-general of the National Trust.

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