Introduction
Following a Working Paper published in December 2024, Government published the Planning and Infrastructure Bill in March 2025. The Bill is currently making its way through the parliamentary process to it becoming an Act.
The Bill’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 to new and innovative ways that the planning system can be improved for the benefit of both people and nature, but we do not believe that this Bill would deliver that.
Regarding the natural environment, Part 3 of the Bill would enable the creation of Environmental Delivery Plans (EDPs) that could disapply any element (“environmental feature”) of the Wildlife and Countryside Act, the Habitats Regulations and/or the Badger Protection Act, provided that the Housing Secretary is persuaded that the mitigation and enhancement measures set out in an EDP would be “likely” to enhance the “environmental feature” in question by the end of the EDP (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 disapplied.
CIEEM is of the view, supported by legal opinion, that Part 3 of the Bill 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.
CEEM News Items
- 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 Blogs
CIEEM Publications and Resources
- 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
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 Podcast Episodes
- 26: Eco-Anxiety with Kath Allen and Planning & Infrastructure Bill Update (1 May 2025)
- 25: Planning and Infrastructure Bill & Scotland’s Natural Environment Bill (1 April 2025)
- 24: Grasslands with Plantlife’s Jo Riggall, Land & Planning in England, & Net Benefits for Biodiversity Wales (5 March 2025)
- 23: Planning Reforms in England, Nature Ambitions in Wales and Small Sites Biodiversity Net Gain (6 February 2025)
- 22: 2024 Environmental Policy Roundup and 2025 Predictions (2 January 2025)
Planning & Infrastructure Bill Newsletter
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