Good news for developers about the bats and newts!

Thu 30 Jan 2025

Chancellor Rachel Reeves promises developers they will no longer need to worry about “the bats and the newts” when they plan more houses.

She said housebuilders will be asked to pay into ‘a nature fund’ if an impact on wildlife is identified at a potential new build site.

In a speech that outlined the Government’s plans to kickstart economic growth, Reeves said she was “genuinely shocked” at how slow the planning process was.

And she said the problems can be summed up by £100 million spent on a ‘bat tunnel’ for the HS2 rail line.

The Government has set a target of 1.5 million new homes built within five years, and wants to remove obstacles to planning approval for building.
 

Reeves said the Government will set up ‘zoning schemes’ to boost new build homes around train stations.

“It’s about speeding things up, making a presumption in favour of building – and in this case building housing and saying that these are exactly the sorts of places you want housing,” 

“We’re saying if it’s around a commuter train station, we want that development to happen.”

“So, the idea of building around train stations is saying it’s not just a home – it’s a home with access to good jobs paying decent wages.”