CIEEM Publishes New Good Development Briefing
Yesterday, CIEEM published its flagship Good Development briefing, Good by Design: Nature is Development’s Best Insurance Policy, setting out the case for embedding ecological expertise at the heart of housing and infrastructure delivery.
The briefing demonstrates how nature-positive development can help address two of the UK’s most pressing challenges: delivering the homes and infrastructure communities need while accelerating nature recovery. Rather than being competing priorities, the Briefing shows how integrating nature into development can create better quality, more resilient places that retain their value over the long term.
Drawing on evidence and real-world case studies, Good by Design highlights how early involvement of ecological expertise can reduce risk, support more efficient planning decisions and deliver better outcomes for people, nature and the economy. Featured examples include Manchester’s Mayfield Park, flood defence works on the Humber Estuary, and a housing development in Hampshire.
With the UK Government committed to delivering 1.5 million new homes and accelerating infrastructure decisions, the briefing provides practical recommendations for policymakers and parliamentarians on how nature can be harnessed as an asset for economic growth, climate resilience, community wellbeing and nature recovery.
The publication marks an important milestone in CIEEM’s wider Good Development project, which aims to ensure ecological expertise plays a central role in shaping how development is planned and delivered across the UK and Ireland. The project will continue to provide evidence, policy engagement updates and case studies demonstrating how Good Development can be achieved in practice.