Emma Toovey, Chief Nature Officer at the Environment Bank, says weakening Biodiversity Net Gain is both unnecessary and damaging.
Environment Bank is deeply alarmed by reports suggesting the Government may significantly weaken Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) requirements, including cancelling plans to extend the scheme to Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects (NSIPs) and removing small sites – and potentially more – from compliance.
If these rumours prove true, it will mark not just a setback, but a reversal of hard-won progress, jeopardising nature restoration and undermining investor confidence in the UK, and would do very little in terms of delivering on housebuilding targets. BNG was introduced to ensure development contributes positively to biodiversity rather than eroding it. Far from being a barrier to housebuilding or farming, BNG has unlocked new opportunities for landowners and developers to work together to restore nature. Our partners in the housing and agricultural sectors have embraced this approach, recognising that sustainable growth and environmental stewardship can go hand in hand.
Rolling back these commitments would also send a damaging signal to investors. Over the past few years, the Government has encouraged the market to develop around BNG, enabling infrastructure developers and institutional investors to make long-term plans. A U-turn now would shatter confidence in the UK’s credibility as a stable, investable market, sending a signal that long-term commitments can vanish overnight. Policy volatility of this kind risks deterring capital at a time when economic growth and environmental resilience should be mutually reinforcing priorities.
BNG is not just about nature; it is about growth, certainty, and credibility, which, if weakened, this government will lose all progress on. Weakening these requirements would not only be unnecessary for housebuilding or harm the environment — it would erode trust, deter investment, and diminish the UK’s standing as a global leader in sustainable growth.
Header image: Josie Elias/AdobeStock
