- New Nature Restoration Fund will help restore
protected habitats and species
- First Environmental Delivery Plans to launch
in 2026 to tackle pollution blocking homes
Communities and nature across England
will benefit from improved environmental
outcomes and faster delivery of homes through the Nature
Restoration Fund, as the Planning and Infrastructure Bill
becomes law.
The Nature Restoration Fund offers an alternative to the current
system that too often has blocked vital houses being built whilst
nature continues to decline. Going forward developers'
contributions into the Fund will pay towards action that restores
protected habitats and species.
An Implementation Plan published today sets out the pathway to
rolling out the Nature Restoration Fund, culminating in the
delivery of the first Environmental Delivery Plans (EDPs) in
2026.
Under the new approach, Natural England will work with public
bodies, environmental organisations, private markets and
developers to create an EDP for specific areas, outlining
conservation measures that address impacts of development on
protected sites and species.
Where an EDP is in place, developers can make a payment into the
Nature Restoration Fund, rather than implementing individual
mitigation measures. Natural England will pool these payments to
deliver improvements at a larger scale — for
example, cleaning rivers, restoring wetlands and
creating accessible green spaces where communities can enjoy
nature.
The first EDPs will launch
in 2026 and initially focus on addressing blockages
caused by nutrient pollution in rivers, lakes and
estuaries.
Nature Minister said:
“We are changing the broken planning system to ensure that we can
deliver new homes and infrastructure while protecting and
restoring nature.
“The Nature Restoration Fund will help restore our most treasured
protected habitats and species whilst building the homes Britain
needs.”
Chief executive of Natural England Marian
Spain
“The Planning and Infrastructure Bill becoming law gives us the
opportunity to build the homes and infrastructure our country
needs while driving nature's recovery.
“Thriving nature is essential for our nation's growth, health and
security. Through the Nature Restoration Fund, we can deliver new
homes and make it easier for developers to meet their obligations
to protect sites and species by investing at scale in nature's
recovery and restoring the natural systems that underpin our
prosperity and protect our wellbeing.
“Natural England is now working at pace with the many people we
need to make this happen and have the first Environmental
Delivery Plans ready for next summer.”
An EDP can only be made where there is evidence that
it passes an Overall Improvement Test, meaning that the
conservation measures it contains will materially
outweigh the negative impacts of the
development.
Steps will now be taken by Natural England to formally notify
Defra's Secretary of State that it is preparing EDPs
Natural England will seek to deliver strategic interventions at
scale and source conservation work through open competition,
supporting nature markets and helping to prompt growth
in the green economy.
The Nature Restoration Fund forms part of the Planning
and Infrastructure Act, supporting delivery of 1.5 million homes
and 150 major infrastructure decisions in this Parliament.
ENDS Notes to
editors:
- EDPs will be voluntary by default, allowing developers to
continue to meet relevant obligations on a project-by-project
basis through existing processes and providers if they wish. Only
by exception, where it is considered necessary, can Natural
England propose that an EDP should be mandatory. This would need
to be approved by the relevant Secretary of State.
- The Planning and Infrastructure Act received Royal Assent on
Thursday 18 December: Landmark
Planning and Infrastructure Bill becomes law - GOV.UK
- The Nature Restoration Fund Implementation Plan can be found
here: Nature Restoration Fund:
Implementation plan - GOV.UK
