The Government has announced a raft of reforms aimed at easing planning regulations and environmental protections to support smaller housebuilders in England.
Under the proposals, Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) requirements will be relaxed for smaller developments of up to nine homes and medium-sized sites of between 10 and 49 homes.
The Government argues the move will make the BNG rules simpler for small- and medium-sized (SME) housebuilders, making it easier for SMEs to deliver habitats for wildlife on their sites.
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government describes it as ‘a win-win for nature and development.’
However, critics of the proposals argue that the move would mean that over 70% of housing developments would no longer need to compensate for nature loss.
Richard Benwell, CEO of Wildlife and Countryside Link, said the proposed rules could ‘leave the Biodiversity Net Gain system dead in the water.’
As part of the package of reforms, the Government also announced £10m for councils to fund specialists to speed up environment assessments, £100m in loans for SMEs, and an exemption from the Building Safety Levy for medium-sized sites.
Deputy Prime Minister and Housing Secretary Angela Rayner said: ‘Today we’re taking urgent action to make the system simpler, fairer and more cost effective, so smaller housebuilders can play a crucial role in our journey to get Britain building.’
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