Ross Hoddinott/2020VISION
Planning & Infrastructure Bill
Economic growth and nature recovery can be achieved together - it doesn't have to be "development vs nature".
The new Planning & Infrastructure Bill – currently making its way through Parliament – aims to ‘get Britain building’ and provides ‘a win-win for development and for nature’ according to the Government. There are some good parts of the Bill – like a commitment to "delivering overall improvements for nature" – however there is a real risk that fast-tracked development could come at the cost of our natural environment.
What Suffolk Wildlife Trust is doing
We have been meeting with Suffolk's MPs to encourage them to listen to nature and to request changes to the Bill in Parliament. We are also working closely with our fellow nature and enviornment charities in East Anglia, and The Wildlife Trusts federation, to campaign for the Government to make small changes that would protect nature whilst also delivering economic growth.
20th May - Open letter handed to Government
The Wildlife Trusts handed in their open letter to Westminster, urging the Government to listen to evidence and amend the Bill for nature. A huge thank you to the 542 members and supports from Suffolk who signed the open letter!
23rd May - New evidence shows nature does not block growth
A new report published - and based on research by Suffolk Wildlife Trust’s Wilder Ecology consultancy - reveals only 3% of planning decision have been blocked by bats and great crested newts. is blocked by nature. This evidence that nature does not block growth is published as the Planning & Infrastructure Bill reached a critical stage today when the Committee discussion of the Bill ended. The report, Planning & Development: nature isn’t the problem, adds to the growing body of evidence – including the Government’s own impact assessment – showing that nature protections do not block growth.
What you can do
The Government promised to protect precious wild spaces. Please remind your MP about this, and ask them to think very carefully about why those promises should be kept.
We can help you find your MP and write your own mesage to add to ours. Your email will be copied to Rachel Reeves, Chancellor, so she can see which MPs are being contacted and better understand why this matters to everyday people.
Further reading
- Government guide to the Bill - GOV.UK (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-planning-and-infrastructure-bill/guide-to-the-planning-and-infrastructure-bill)
- The Wildlife Trust's full statement on the Bill - wildlifetrusts.org (https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/news/charities-challenge-ministers-fix-planning-bill-or-nature-will-pay-price)
- Full Report: Planning on bats and newts - The Wildlife Trusts (https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/sites/default/files/2025-05/Planning%20on%20bats%20and%20newts%20-%20FullReport.pdf)
- Is the new planning bill a licence to destroy wildlife? - Channel 4 (https://www.channel4.com/news/is-the-new-planning-bill-a-licence-to-destroy-wildlife)
