Government gives hollow reply to our campaign against the Planning Bill

Are we even surprised?

Earlier this summer, Protect the Wild launched a campaign to scrap the Planning and Infrastructure Bill. This legislation threatens to tear apart environmental protections, open the door to mass habitat destruction, and replace safeguards with a pay-to-destroy scheme.

We were not alone in raising the alarm. Organisations and campaigners across the country have joined forces to highlight the dangers. From ecologists to grassroots groups, the message has been clear: this Bill would be a disaster for wildlife.

And the public agrees. More than 11,000 people have already signed our petition demanding the Bill be withdrawn. Together, we wrote directly to Angela Rayner MP and Baroness Taylor of Stevenage, warning that the Bill will have “devastating and irreversible impacts on British wildlife.”

This week, the government wrote back. And in the very first line of their letter, they asked us to share their response with our supporters. So, that is exactly what we are doing here. After all, we would not want to upset the government now, would we? 😉

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What the Government Said

In a polite but predictable letter, Baroness Taylor thanked us for our engagement and promised our views were being considered.

She insisted the Bill would “deliver for both nature and people,” but in the very next breath put the emphasis squarely on being “pro-growth and pro-infrastructure.” She spoke of ambitious targets: 1.5 million new homes and 150 major projects fast-tracked.

On the environment, what did we get? Vague phrases about “better outcomes for nature,” “lasting legacies,” and “robust safeguards.” The supposed safety net is that the Secretary of State will decide whether Environmental Delivery Plans are “better than the status quo” and revoke them if not. In other words, one politician, not independent watchdogs, will hold the power.

The letter framed the current system as “not working for nature” and claimed that centralising money in a Nature Restoration Fund would be more effective than site-by-site protections.

It promised ecologists would be consulted, the public would get a say, and Natural England would have “flexibility” to pursue conservation measures. But flexibility is exactly the problem. It means developers can bulldoze precious habitats here while promises of “restoration” are made somewhere else entirely.

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Why This Reply Is So Poor

At first glance, the response looks reassuring. On closer reading, it is clear that it dodges the heart of the issue.

• Developers first, nature second. The whole letter is structured around growth targets. Nature is only ever mentioned as something that will not “get in the way.”

• Greenwashing through language. Phrases like “lasting legacy” and “better outcomes” are marketing fluff, not binding protections.

• Concentration of power. Leaving decisions to the Secretary of State is dangerous. Independent regulators should safeguard wildlife, not politicians under pressure to deliver housing targets.

• The illusion of consultation. Public consultation and ecologist input sound strong but, as campaigners know, these processes are often tokenistic.

• Flexibility equals loopholes. By allowing money to be spent “wherever it can have the greatest impact,” the Bill creates an escape hatch for developers to pay to destroy habitats without real accountability.

Perhaps most tellingly, the letter closes by celebrating that the Bill will help “housebuilders benefit from a more streamlined process.” That is the truth hiding in plain sight. This legislation is designed to cut red tape for developers, not protect wildlife.

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Where We Stand

This government’s response makes one thing clear. They are not listening to wildlife, or to the public. They are listening to developers.

The Planning and Infrastructure Bill is a developer’s charter, a pay-to-destroy scheme that turns irreplaceable habitats into commodities. It is the opposite of what a government serious about tackling the biodiversity crisis would introduce.

Over 11,000 of you have already joined us in calling for this Bill to be scrapped. We will keep fighting with you to stop it.

Because true progress is not measured by the number of houses built or miles of road laid, but by the ecosystems we preserve and the species we protect.

So there you have it, straight from the government. They asked us to share their reply with you, and we have. The problem is, their reply only confirms what we already knew: this Bill is built for developers, not for nature. And that is why together, we will keep fighting to scrap it.

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