• New homes to be built while nature is recovered at scale as the Planning and Infrastructure Bill receives Royal Assent
- New Nature Restoration Fund will help restore protected habitats and species
- First Environmental Delivery Plans to launch in 2026 to tackle pollution blocking homes
Communities and nature across England will benefit from improved environmental outcomes and faster delivery of homes through the Nature Restoration Fund, as the Planning and Infrastructure Bill becomes law.
The Nature Restoration Fund offers an alternative to the current system that too often has blocked vital houses being built whilst nature continues to decline. Going forward developers' contributions into the Fund will pay towards action that restores protected habitats and species.
An Implementation Plan published today sets out the pathway to rolling out the Nature Restoration Fund, culminating in the delivery of the first Environmental Delivery Plans (EDPs) in 2026.
Under the new approach, Natural England will work with public bodies, environmental organisations, private markets and developers to create an EDP for specific areas, outlining conservation measures that address impacts of development on protected sites and species.
Where an EDP is in place, developers can make a payment into the Nature Restoration Fund, rather than implementing individual mitigation measures. Natural England will pool these payments to deliver improvements at a larger scale - for example, cleaning rivers, restoring wetlands and creating accessible green spaces where communities can enjoy nature.
The first EDPs will launch in 2026 and initially focus on addressing blockages caused by nutrient pollution in rivers, lakes and estuaries.
Nature Minister Mary Creagh said:
"We are changing the broken planning system to ensure that we can deliver new homes and infrastructure while protecting and restoring nature.
"The Nature Restoration Fund will help restore our most treasured protected habitats and species whilst building the homes Britain needs."
Chief executive of Natural England Marian Spain
"The Planning and Infrastructure Bill becoming law gives us the opportunity to build the homes and infrastructure our country needs while driving nature's recovery.
"Thriving nature is essential for our nation's growth, health and security. Through the Nature Restoration Fund, we can deliver new homes and make it easier for developers to meet their obligations to protect sites and species by investing at scale in nature's recovery and restoring the natural systems that underpin our prosperity and protect our wellbeing.
"Natural England is now working at pace with the many people we need to make this happen and have the first Environmental Delivery Plans ready for next summer."
An EDP can only be made where there is evidence that it passes an Overall Improvement Test, meaning that the conservation measures it contains will materially outweigh the negative impacts of the development.
Steps will now be taken by Natural England to formally notify Defra's Secretary of State that it is preparing EDPs
Natural England will seek to deliver strategic interventions at scale and source conservation work through open competition, supporting nature markets and helping to prompt growth in the green economy.
The Nature Restoration Fund forms part of the Planning and Infrastructure Act, supporting delivery of 1.5 million homes and 150 major infrastructure decisions in this Parliament.
