The Deputy Prime Minister and the Secretary of State for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) have written to environmental non-government organisations (NGOs) about using the value gained from enabling development to proceed quickly and smoothly to support nature recovery.

Angela Rayner and Steve Reed told the NGOs the government was elected on a mandate to get Britain building again, alongside protecting and improving the natural environment.

The government has committed to building one and a half million new homes across the country over the next five years to tackle housing crisis and boost economic growth.

The letter states:

“Nature recovery remains a top priority alongside the need to overhaul the planning system, grow the economy, and reach net zero. This is not a matter of choosing one of these priorities over another. Sustained economic growth depends upon a healthy natural environment.

“When it comes to the planning system’s role in providing the nature and housing we need, we know that the status quo is not working. Environmental assessments and case-by-case negotiations of mitigation and compensation measures often slow down the delivery of much-needed housing and infrastructure. Meanwhile, the condition of our environment, and even our most important habitats and species, has declined over a sustained period. This is a lose-lose situation, for our economy, the public and for the natural environment.”

The Ministers emphasised that the Government is “determined to transform the system to ensure a win-win for housebuilding and nature. “

The letter concludes:

“We want to use the value gained from enabling development to proceed quickly and smoothly to support nature recovery – and to do so in a way that gives everyone involved greater certainty. And we will only legislate if we are confident that it achieves these outcomes.”