Following increasing concern over netting being placed in
trees and hedgerows ahead of building work near housing
developments, developers have been reminded of their
legal obligation to consider the impact of a project on
local wildlife and where necessary, take precautionary
action to protect their habitats.
In a letter to leading developers, the Communities
Secretary emphasised that birds are protected under the
Wildlife Countryside Act 1981, and that mitigation plans
will need to show how developers will avoid or manage any
negative effects on protected species during their work.
During building work, it is common practice for netting
to be placed over trees and hedgerows, but this can be
used unnecessarily and trap wildlife.
If developers do not follow their obligations, the
Secretary of State has not ruled out further action to
protect our country’s valuable ecological system.
The revised planning rulebook is also already clear that
planning policies and decisions should contribute to and
enhance the natural and local environment by minimising
the impacts on and providing net gains for biodiversity.
But this government is going further, announcing plans to
require developers to deliver biodiversity net gain
through the forthcoming Environment Bill. This will mean
habitats for wildlife must be left in a measurably better
state than they were before any development.
The Communities Secretary Rt Hon MP said:
Whilst building new homes is vital, we must take every
care to avoid unnecessary loss of habitats that provide
much-needed space for nature, including birds.
Developments should enhance natural environments, not
destroy them. Netting trees and hedgerows is only
likely to be appropriate where it is genuinely needed
to protect birds from harm during development.
I hope developers will take these words on board and
play their full role to make sure we can deliver new
communities in an environmentally sustainable way.
Martin Harper, the RSPB’s director for conservation said:
We cannot keep trying to squeeze nature into smaller
and smaller spaces or demand that wildlife fits in with
our plans. Across the UK wildlife is vanishing at an
alarming rate, and our planning system must play a
vital role in not just reversing this decline but
helping nature to recover.
Tree and hedge removal should be completed outside of
nesting season. However, if there is absolutely no
alternative, then netting must be used sparingly in
line with the legal duties and responsibilities on
developers, including regular checks to ensure wildlife
isn’t getting trapped, injured or worse.
We are pleased to see the Secretary of State is
acknowledging the concerns many people have about the
use of netting, and how strongly we all feel about
sharing our future neighbourhoods with nature rather
than pushing it away.
Andrew Whitaker, planning director at the Home Builders
Federation said:
Netting trees aligns with the relevant environmental
requirements in instances where it has been agreed with
the local authority that a tree has to be replaced. The
industry is engaging with the RSPB to consider how we
develop requirements that increase protections for
wildlife whilst ensuring desperately needed homes are
built without delay.
Last year housing developments incorporated around 9
million trees and shrubs making the industry one of the
nation’s biggest providers of new trees.
As we build the homes the country needs, the industry
is committed to supporting and enhancing bio-diversity,
proactively protecting wildlife and providing an
overall increase in the number of trees
