Introduction
Following a Working Paper published in December 2024, Government published the Planning and Infrastructure Bill (PIB) in March 2025. The Bill has now become law as the Planning and Infrastructure Act 2025.
The Act’s intention is to streamline the planning process in England, and at the same time enhance nature. It is tied to Government’s election pledge to speed up the development of infrastructure and to build 1.5 million new houses by the end of the current parliament (2024-2029).
CIEEM is supportive of looking at new and innovative ways that the planning system can be improved for the benefit of both people and nature, but we still do not believe that this Act will deliver that.
Regarding the natural environment, Part 3 of the Act enables the creation of Environmental Delivery Plans (EDPs) that can disapply the Wildlife and Countryside Act, the Habitats Regulations and/or the Badger Protection Act for any relevant “environmental feature(s)”, provided that the Housing Secretary is persuaded that the mitigation and enhancement measures set out in an EDP will “materially” enhance the “environmental feature(s)” in question by the end of the EDP (up to 10 years). In exchange, developers will pay into a new Nature Restoration Fund (NRF) that Natural England will be tasked to discharge to enhance the “environmental feature(s)” that is/are impacted.
CIEEM continues to be of the view that the Act is a regression of environmental protections.
Below we set out relevant information and CIEEM’s activities.
At the bottom of this page you can sign up to our Planning and Infrastructure Bill newsletter.
CIEEM News Items
- The Planning and Infrastructure Act 2025 is here – but the fight for nature is far from over (19 December 2025)
- Peers defeated on amendments to safeguard nature as Planning and Infrastructure Bill nears final stages (24 November 2025)
- Peers table new amendment in final effort to improve Planning and Infrastructure Bill for nature (21 November 2025)
- CIEEM Planning and Infrastructure Bill Activity Summary (August – November 2025) (14 November 2025)
- Disappointing Outcome for Amendments 38 and 40 to the Planning and Infrastructure Bill (13 November 2025)
- CIEEM joins leading environmental and business organisations in letter to Labour MPs on the Planning and Infrastructure Bill (12 November 2025)
- CIEEM urges members to ask their MPs to support PIB amendment 130 (3 November 2025)
- House of Lords Supports Key Amendment to the Planning and Infrastructure Bill (30 October 2025)
- CIEEM issues revised briefing for Peers on the Planning and Infrastructure Bill (24 October 2025)
- New Government amendments to PIB intended to “streamline” Natural England’s planning advice role (14 October 2025)
- New housebuilding report shows nature not a blocker (3 October 2025)
- Joint CIEEM event at Labour Conference (30 September 2025)
- CIEEM meets with Prime Minister’s Policy Unit to discuss planning reform and nature recovery (23 September 2025)
- New study shows public pride in climate and nature (14 September 2025)
- Updated legal opinion on Planning and Infrastructure Bill says it is still regressive (12 September 2025)
- CIEEM engages with parliamentarians on Planning and Infrastructure Bill (4 September 2025)
- CIEEM publishes new amendments to Planning and Infrastructure Bill (28 August 2025)
- Treasury rumoured to be considering dropping precautionary principle (18 August 2025)
- CIEEM publishes Briefing Paper on what Part 3 of the Planning and Infrastructure Bill means for Developers and Constructors (04 August 2025)
- CIEEM Statement on Planning and Infrastructure Bill (18 July 2025)
- Survey reveals widespread concern over Planning and Infrastructure Bill (18 July 2025)
- Government reiterates commitment to climate and nature ambitions (15 July 2025)
- Government says Planning and Infrastructure Bill “key activity” for achieving thriving plants and wildlife (15 July 2025)
- CIEEM publishes briefing on solutions to issues with the planning system in England (15 July 2025)
- EAC session creates more uncertainty around Planning and Infrastructure Bill (2 July 2025)
- Animal Sentience Committee responds to Planning and Infrastructure Bill (27 June 2025)
- Wild Justice follow through with legal challenge to the Government’s environmental protection claims (16 June 2026)
- CIEEM’s President Writes Letter to the Government on the Planning and Infrastructure Bill (13 June 2025)
- Planning and Infrastructure Bill to be debated by all MPs (6 June 2025)
- Planners reiterate research showing poor delivery of ecological mitigation (14 May 2025)
- Wild Justice threatens Government with legal action over Planning Bill (12 May 2025)
- Growing evidence that Planning and Infrastructure Bill amounts to regression of environmental protections (9 May 2025)
- “Very limited” evidence in Planning and Infrastructure Bill’s Impact Assessment to say nature holding back development (9 May 2025)
- Government tables new amendment to Planning and Infrastructure Bill that could make the ‘overall improvement test’ worse (9 May 2025)
- EAC Report Says Government Needs to Commit to BNG (8 May 2025)
- CIEEM signs joint letter to MPs on Planning and Infrastructure Bill (24 April 2025)
- CIEEM publishes briefing on Planning and Infrastructure Bill amendments (14 April 2025)
- CIEEM encourages members to engage MPs on the Planning and Infrastructure Bill Committee (14 April 2025)
- Current and Past Presidents write letter to MPs regarding Planning and Infrastructure Bill 2025 (1 April 2025)
- CIEEM encourages members to contact MPs over Planning and Infrastructure Bill (18 March 2025)
- CIEEM responds to Planning and Infrastructure Bill (
- Planning and Infrastructure Bill introduced to Parliament (
- Government sets deadline for responses to England planning reforms proposals (14 February 2025)
- Professional Bodies and Learned Societies Write to Prime Minister and Chancellor on the Value of Nature (13 February 2025)
- CIEEM responds to Government’s Planning Reform Working Paper on Development and Nature Recovery in England (12 February 2025)
- CIEEM gives evidence to Environmental Audit Committee on nature and development (6 February 2025)
- Chancellor takes another swipe at nature (30 January 2025)
- Addressing the Planning Reform Proposals (
- Prime Minister says regulation getting in the way of major developments (23 January 2025)
- Government planning update for England: what’s new for nature (
CIEEM Publications and Resources
- Planning and Infrastructure Bill Briefing for House of Lords Ping Pong (18 November 2025)
- Joint letter to Labour MPs in support of Planning and Infrastructure Bill amendment 40 (12 November 2025)
- CIEEM Briefing Paper: What is Amendment 40? (11 November 2025)
- Planning and Infrastructure Bill briefing for Labour MPs (7 November 2025)
- Planning and Infrastructure Bill 2025: Briefing for House of Lords Report Stage (Revised) (24 October 2025)
- Planning and Infrastructure Bill 2025: Briefing for House of Lords Report Stage (20 October 2025)
- Planning and Infrastructure Bill 2025: Amendments for Lords Committee Stage (27 August 2025)
- CIEEM Letter to Chancellor on Rumoured Weakening of Environmental Protections (21 August 2025)
- CIEEM Briefing Paper: What Part 3 of the Planning and Infrastructure Bill means for Developers and Constructors (4 August 2025)
- CIEEM Letter to the OEP regarding the Planning and Infrastructure Bill (18 July 2025)
- CIEEM Briefing Paper: Solutions for the Planning and Infrastructure Bill (15 July 2025)
- Letter to Minister Pennycook regarding the Planning and Infrastructure Bill (25 June 2025)
- President’s letter to Government (13 June 2025)
- Letter to Defra Secretary of State (22 May 2025)
- Amendments Briefing for the Planning and Infrastructure Bill (14 April 2025)
- Current and Past Presidents’ letter to MPs regarding the Planning and Infrastructure Bill 2025 (31 March 2025)
- CIEEM comment on the Planning and Infrastructure Bill 2025 (18 March 2025)
- Planning Reform Briefing: Harmonising Development and Nature Recovery (March 2025)
- Long response to Planning Reform Working Paper: Development and Nature Recovery (12 February 2025)
- Short response to Planning Reform Working Paper: Development and Nature Recovery (12 February 2025)
- Letter to Prime Minister and Chancellor on the value of nature (11 February 2025)
- A Simple Guide to Writing Impactfully to Your MP
CIEEM Webinars
What does the Planning and Infrastructure Act mean for the sector? (8 January 2026)
Planning and Infrastructure Bill Update (4 September 2025)
An Update on the Planning and Infrastructure Bill: Where are we now? And what next? (4 June 2025)
Planning and Infrastructure Bill (England): Key Updates, Actions and Next Steps (3 April 2025)
CIEEM Blogs
- BBC Panorama shows nature not a “blocker” (21 October 2025)
- CIEEM at the Labour Party Conference – by Jason Reeves (5 October 2025)
- Meeting With Your MP About Biodiversity and the Environment – by John Box (24 March 2025)
CIEEM Media Mentions regarding PIB
- Labour’s ‘blinkered’ drive to build risks pushing wildlife to point of no return, nature experts warn (Independent, 25 November 2025)
- ‘Incredibly disappointed’: House of Lords backs down on pro-nature amendment to Planning Bill (ENDS Report, 25 November 2025)
- Planning Bill: Last-minute government amendment would ‘kill’ mitigation hierarchy, lawyer warns (ENDS Report, 10 November 2025)
- Developers met ministers dozens of times over planning bill while ecologists were shut out (Guardian, 9 November 2025)
- Conservationists welcome Lords vote to stymie Planning and Infrastructure Bill’s ‘licence to kill’ (New Civil Engineer, 30 October 2025)
- ‘Milestone’ nature amendment passed following debate on ‘ecologically illiterate’ Planning Bill (ENDS Report, 30 October 2025)
- Letter: Those who defend nature against Labour’s growth agenda are not ‘traitors’ (Guardian, 27 October 2025)
- Labour slammed for ‘clear hypocrisy’ as housing plans risk ‘irreversible’ harm (Express, 20 October 2025)
- ‘A shambles’: Government blasted over ‘last minute, scattergun’ changes to Planning Bill (ENDS, 14 October 2025)
- The Planning Bill pretends to help developers. In reality, it will only create chaos (Property Reporter, 13 October 2025)
- Letters to the Editor: AI data centre rules (The Times, 9 October 2025)
- Guest blog – Planning and Infrastructure Bill: Developers’ friend or foe? (TCPA, 26 August 2025)
- Letter: Reeves rhetoric on planning bill is needlessly corrosive (Financial Times, 30 July 2025)
- ‘Not a done deal’: The Planning Bill amendments you need to know about – and environmentalists’ mixed response (ENDS Report, 18 July 2025)
- Government ‘takes initial steps to address Planning Bill concerns’ (ENDS Report, 17 July 2025)
- Ecologists gloomy as Planning Bill begins Lords committee stage (ENDS Report, 17 July 2025)
- Does the Planning & Infrastructure Bill go far enough? (PBC Today, 16 July 2025)
- Planning Bill is evidence of progress on ‘thriving wildlife’ target, says government report (ENDS Report, 14 July 2025)
- ‘Hypocrisy!’ Angela Rayner among Labour MPs slammed for housing blitz ‘double standards’ (Express, 8 July 2025)
- UK cuts electricity bills for business as part of net zero-aligned industrial strategy (SustainableViews, 23 June 2025)
- UK spending review promises a ‘golden age of nuclear’ (SustainableViews, 11 June 2025)
- Four in five ecologists in England feel undervalued by government, industry survey finds (EnviroTec, 6 June 2025)
- Planning Bill will ’emasculate’ DEFRA, ecologists warn (ENDS Report, 27 May 2025)
- Wildlife charities urge Labour to scrap ‘licence to kill nature’ in planning bill (The Guardian, 22 May 2025)
- Office for Environmental Protection: Dame Glenys Stacey to step down as chair (BusinessGreen, 13 May 2025)
- Latest government amendment to planning bill could further weaken environmental standards, warn experts (EnviroTec, 9 May 2025)
- Letters: Government is gaslighting us on planning bill and nature (The Guardian, 5 May 2025)
- Government attempts to reduce environmental protections in planning bill could breach international law, says KC (EnviroTec, 30 April 2025)
- Labour’s great nature sellout is the worst attack on England’s ecosystems I’ve seen in my lifetime, by George Monbiot (The Guardian, 24 April 2025)
- OEP ‘keen to understand’ government view Planning Bill won’t lead to reduced environmental protection (ENDS Report, 24 March 2025)
- UK planning reforms threaten thousands of ecologists’ jobs, sector warns (Financial Times, 23 March 2025)
- Ecologists slam ‘fundamentally unsound’ Planning and Infrastructure Bill (ENDS Report, 19 March 2025)
Relevant CIEEM Podcast Episodes
Our monthly podcast, Nature In A Nutshell, is available to listen to on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or anywhere else you listen to your podcasts.
- 30: Rebuilding Nature: Good Practice Principles on Ecological Restoration with James Hicks (October 2025)
- 29: Planning and Infrastructure Bill Update with Sally Hayns and Craig Llewellyn, and Sustainable Farming Scheme in Wales (August 2025)
- 28: AI in Ecology with Dr Sam Reynolds, BNG and Planning & Infrastructure Bill Updates (July 2025)
- 26: Eco-Anxiety with Kath Allen and Planning & Infrastructure Bill Update (May 2025)
- 25: Planning and Infrastructure Bill & Scotland’s Natural Environment Bill (April 2025)
- 24: Grasslands with Plantlife’s Jo Riggall, Land & Planning in England, & Net Benefits for Biodiversity Wales (March 2025)
- 23: Planning Reforms in England, Nature Ambitions in Wales and Small Sites Biodiversity Net Gain (February 2025)
- 22: 2024 Environmental Policy Roundup and 2025 Predictions (January 2025)
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