'Bad news for nature' - Wildlife groups fume as plan to review environmental targets welcomed by housebuilders
Changes to planning rules which will see biodiversity targets scrapped for smaller developments have been given a cautious welcome by some of the region's small- to medium-sized housebuilders.
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The Government is reviewing Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) requirements, under which builders must compensate for the loss of habitats on new housing developments, as part of a shake-up of planning rules announced this week.
Under the changes, housing sites with between 10 and 49 homes will face simpler rules, including a relaxed BNG system and a proposed exemption from the Building Safety Levy, a charge on builders which aims to support the ongoing safety of residential buildings.
The Government says it wants to make it easier for "smaller builders to get spades in the ground" ahead of moves to simplfy the planning system, saying it wants a return to the 1980s, when smaller building firms delivered 40 per cent of the country’s homes.
But nature organisations have criticised the move, accusing the Government of 'breaking its promises' on the environment.
South Shropshire-based housing builder SJ Roberts offered a cautious welcome to potential moves to allow smaller housebuilders to benefit from a simpler planning landscape.
