The Planning and Infrastructure Bill is a piece of legislation introduced to Parliament on 11 March 2025 by the UK Government. The Bill aims to speed up planning decisions to boost housebuilding by removing barriers to delivering vital infrastructure like roads, railways, and wind farms. The Government's stated goal is to deliver 1.5 million homes in England and fast-track 150 planning decisions on major economic infrastructure projects by the end of this Parliament.

Key elements

• Streamlining the planning system for nationally significant infrastructure projects (NSIPs)
• Introducing strategic planning at sub-regional level through Spatial Development Strategies
• Establishing a Nature Restoration Fund and levy system
• Reforming compulsory purchase powers
• Creating new delegation schemes for planning committees

The Bill has now completed its committee stage in the House of Commons and is currently at the report stage, which took place on 9-10 June 2025.

What are our concerns with regards to the Bill's impact on nature?

The Wildlife Trusts are concerned that with nature in decline and nature recovery targets currently due to be missed, it would be disastrous if instead of a 'win-win for development and for nature', we arrive at a 'lose-lose' scenario.

Our key concerns includeWe have specific concerns that the bill downgrades nature protection by removing the mitigation hierarchy included in the Habitats Regulations 2017. It is deeply concerning that this critical tool to protect nature is currently not recognised within part 3 of the bill. The Bill lacks requirements for the mitigation hierarchy, which prioritises avoiding harm to environmental features before moving to mitigation and compensation.

• The campaign group Wild Justice raise a good point that it contravenes the provisions set in Section 20 of the Environment Act 2021 which do not allow for new legislation to reduce environmental protections.
• There are no specific provisions requiring scientific evidence to underpin Environmental Delivery Plans, which is particularly concerning for species such as bats who use one site as their main home.
• The Bill puts protected sites like ancient woodlands, chalk streams, and other irreplaceable habitats at risk without adequate safeguards.

Now – in common with the wider conservation movement - we feel betrayed. The Planning and Infrastructure Bill this Government has proposed to Parliament is missing vital safeguards for nature. As it stands, the Bill risks accelerating, rather than halting, nature's decline.

The Wildlife Trusts and other eNGOs have attempted to work constructively with the Labour Government since they took office. They have tried to work with Ministers to highlights gaps for nature in the new Planning and Infrastructure Bill by:

• Providing detailed briefings highlighting gaps in nature protection
• Proposing constructive amendments that would allow the Bill to proceed while maintaining environmental safeguards
• Working with Wildlife and Countryside Link and other environmental organisations to offer solutions
• Meeting with government officials to explain our concerns

Yet at every stage these efforts have been ignored. Trust’s working with their MPs have called for a series of amendments which would tone down the most damaging aspects of the Bill, while also suggesting positive measures to improve it such as adding safeguards for irreplaceable habitats like chalk streams. You can see the full list of amendments tabled here. However, the Government has rejected these amendments repeatedly.

What are we calling for now?

We're demanding Ministers scrap Part Three of the Bill, which is the section that would weaken protections for wildlife. We call on the Government to acknowledge the expert consensus that the Planning and Infrastructure Bill will set back nature's recovery, and to withdraw Part 3 of the Bill. As a bare minimum we are asking the government to accept the four critical amendments proposed by The Wildlife Trusts, Wildlife and Countryside Link and other nature organisations at committee stage to make Part 3 of the Bill work better.

As we fear its unlikely they will action the above we are calling for Chris Hinchcliffe's amendment (Amendment NC3) to actioned as part of the Save our Chalk Streams Campaign. On 4 June, our CEO and 4 Wiltshire MPs took part in a photocall outside Parliament to raise awareness of this amendment alongside MPs from Hampshire and Isle of Wight Trust, Norfolk and Berks, Bucks and Oxon Wildlife Trust. The amendment has called for:

The requirement of spatial development strategies to list chalk streams in their area

Identification of a set of measures to protect chalk streams from pollution, abstraction, and environmental damage

Planning authorities to protect and enhance chalk stream habitats

Rejected constructive amendments that would maintain environmental protections

Ignored detailed briefings from environmental experts

Failed to respond to concerns raised by their own environmental watchdog

Introduced harmful amendments of their own, such as removing statutory consultees from infrastructure project consultations

Why have we decided to speak up and fight the government on this?

We initially tried to work collaboratively with the Labour Government. Environmental NGOs, including The Wildlife Trusts, engaged constructively with government officials to help shape the Bill and ensure it delivered the promised "win-win" for nature and development.

However, many amendments on section 3 have been turned down repeatedly. The Government rejected all of these amendments in May, during Commons committee stage, despite the OEP asking Ministers to fix the Bill in these areas to avoid environmental regression.

The Government has:

Enough is enough. We felt we had no choice but to take a stronger public stance to protect nature.

How does the bill affect me?

Changes implemented through the Planning and Infrastructure Bill could affect you in several ways:

If the Bill proceeds without adequate nature safeguards, it could accelerate rather than halt nature's decline, leaving a degraded environment for future generations. Precious local wildlife sites, chalk streams, ancient woodlands, and protected species could lose vital protections, leading to further decline in the wildlife and natural spaces that you value.

Clause 47 of the Bill's line that 'no person is to have a right to be heard at an examination' on Spatial Development Strategies. This undemocratic approach means that the public, local communities, and other stakeholders will have less of a say in the environmental aspects of these strategies.

While the Bill aims to speed up development, removing environmental safeguards could lead to poorly planned projects that cause costly problems later, potentially affecting local communities and infrastructure.

What can I do to help?

Help spread awareness about the threats to nature posed by the Bill by sharing this information with friends, family, and on social media.

You can keep up to date with the developments through signing up to our newsletter and keeping an eye on our website and social media channels.

Continue to support conservation efforts in Wiltshire and protect the nature in your local area. Join, donate or volunteer with your local wildlife trust help us mitigate against nature loss through development. 

What's next for the Bill?

The Planning and Infrastructure Bill has just completed its committee stage in the House of Commons and is currently at the report stage. The report stage took place on 9-10 June 2025.

Parliamentary process

• Report Stage - All MPs debated the bill and could propose further amendments this stage ended on 10 June.
• Third Reading - The bill had a final reading in the House of Commons before moving to the House of Lords ended on 10 June.
• House of Lords - The bill will be put before the House of Lords on 25 June, where peers can propose amendments and debate the legislation

What are we doing now?

We continue to work with the national Wildlife Trusts movement, and our Save our Chalk Streams Campaign partners (Hampshire and Isle of Wight, Berks, Bucks and Oxon and Norfolk Wildlife |Trusts) to raise awareness about our rare precious chalk streams and the enhanced protections they require to maintain pressure on the Government to protect them. We're also continuing to gather evidence and support from the public, MPs, and peers to demonstrate the widespread concern about the Bill's current form and the need for strong environmental protections.