Resources

• Amphibian and Reptile Conservation  
  Charity working to conserve the UK’s rarest reptiles and amphibians, including through the management of nature reserves across Britain.  

• Badger Trust  
  Wildlife charity dedicated to the protection of Badgers, their setts and their habitats. 

• Barn Owl Trust  
  Wildlife charity focusing on the conservation of Barn Owls through education, conservation initiatives, and research work. 

• Bat Conservation Trust  
  Wildlife charity devoted to the conservation of bats and their habitats. Website includes information about protecting bats from development and other building works.  

• British Trust for Ornithology  
  Non-governmental organisation focused on securing the future for birds and nature through improving science, monitoring and data. Website includes blogs, masterclass articles, training courses and events. 

• Buglife  
  Wildlife conservation charity devoted to the conservation of invertebrates. Website has a resources section including advice on protecting invertebrates through the planning system, invertebrate survey and mitigation guidance and a brownfield hub. 

• Bumblebee Conservation Trust  
  Wildlife conservation charity established to conserve the UK’s bumblebees. 

• Butterfly Conservation  
  Wildlife conservation charity dedicated to conserving butterflies and moths.  

• Community Planning Alliance  
  Not-for-profit organisation that provides support, resources and training to grassroots campaign groups engaging with the planning system to protect the environment, wildlife and other community interests. Website includes a resources section, including webinars and other materials on environmental, campaigns and planning-related topics. 

• Friends of the Earth, England, Wales & Northern Ireland  
  Environmental campaigns organisation. Sister organisation in Scotland: Friends of the Earth Scotland.  

• Froglife  
  Wildlife conservation charity working to conserve amphibians and reptiles, including through education and research.  

• Mammal Society  
  Wildlife conservation charity devoted to the science-led conservation of mammals.  

• National Trust  
  Conservation charity with a focus on nature and heritage. Website includes many useful articles and reports, including guidance on neighbourhood planning and heritage. 

• People’s Trust for Endangered Species  
  UK-based wildlife conservation charity that works globally to protect threatened species. Website includes advice on how to protect biodiversity from development. 

• Plantlife  
  Conservation charity dedicated to the protection of wild plants and fungi. 

• Whale and Dolphin Conservation (WDC)  
  Global charity devoted to the protection of whales and dolphins. 

• Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust  
  Charity dedicated to promoting the protection of wetland birds and their habitats. 

• Woodland Trust  
  Conservation charity concerned with the protection of the UK’s native woodlands. Website includes information on protecting trees and woodlands from development threats. 

• The Wildlife Trusts  
  Nature conservation charity formed of 46 individual place-based Wildlife Trusts across the UK. Website contains guidance on planning and wildlife including forward planning, advice for developers, and wildlife law. Some individual Wildlife Trust websites may contain additional planning-related information. 

• Biodiversity in new housing developments: creating wildlife-friendly communities 
  Guidance commissioned by the NHBC Foundation with the support of the RSPB and Barratt Developments. Includes design concepts, practical solutions and best practice case studies that create homes for wildlife alongside sustainable new communities. 

• Planning Resource  
  A subscription-based online news portal aimed at professional planners. Website includes topical planning news, analysis, appeals, policy, data and reference guides.  

• The Chartered Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management (CIEEM)  
  A valuable online resource aimed at professional ecologists and other environmental practitioners. Contains news on ecology, environmental policy and law, and a wealth of guidance and other useful resources, including comprehensive guidelines for ecological impact assessments. 

• BRE National Solar Centre Biodiversity Guidance for Solar Developments  
  Guidance for planners and the solar industry on how they can support biodiversity on solar farms. Developed with and endorsed by a number of UK conservation organisations including the RSPB. 

• Environmental Law Foundation  
  Charity established to provide individuals and communities with free legal information and guidance on environmental issues via in-house advisers, university-based law clinics, and a network of specialist environmental lawyers and technical experts. 

• Multi Agency Geographic Information for the Countryside (MAGIC) 
  Statutory designated wildlife sites of national and international importance across England, Scotland and Wales, as well as other geographic information about the natural environment in Great Britain.  

• Natural Environment Map Viewer 
  Wildlife designations and other biogeographical information for Northern Ireland.  

• Searchable information on individual statutory site designations can be found at:   England , Northern Ireland  , Scotland , Wales   

• National Biodiversity Network (NBN) Atlas  
  The UK’s largest source of biodiversity data, where you can search using a postcode or area and explore the species that have been recorded there.  

• Local Environmental Record Centres (LERC) finder 
  Find out which LERC covers a particular part of the UK by using this finder. Many LERCs provide tools for exploring local data. 

• The British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) data request service  
  Bird data and BTO report request service. The survey data combines BirdTrack records with other bird survey data held by the BTO.  

• iNaturalist 
  Explore wildlife records added to iNaturalist using a postcode or other location information, including their verification status (ie, whether they have been checked by an expert).  

• iRecord  
  All non-sensitive records added to iRecord are available to view and download on the website, with their verification status.  

• SwiftMapper 
  View all records of nesting Swifts (as well as low-flying groups of Swifts and Swift nest box locations) that have been added to SwiftMapper. 

• Wildlife Assessment Check tool  
  Guidance tool that allows an initial check for the presence of any protected and priority species in an area and helps inform the need for any detailed ecological appraisal.  

England & Wales 

• Planning Portal (England & Wales)  
  A hub for all national (England & Wales) planning and building regulations information and the national planning application service. 

England 

• National Planning Policy Framework 2024 

• Planning Practice Guidance 
  Collection of Government planning practice guidance, covering a wide range of topics.  

Northern Ireland 

• Strategic Planning Policy Statement 

Scotland 

• National Planning Framework 4 

Wales 

• Future Wales: The National Plan 2040 

• Planning Policy Wales 

• Local Planning Authority search tool 
  Search for your local planning authority, from where you can access details of the local planning policies for the area.  

• State of Nature Report  
  The most comprehensive ‘health report’ on the UK’s biodiversity produced by a partnership of key UK nature conservation charities. 

• Birds of Conservation Concern  
  The current conservation status of all UK birds, often referred to as ‘the UK Red List for birds’. 

• Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC) - national priority species & habitats 
  Lists the species and habitats of national priority (formerly known as Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP) Priority Species and Priority Habitats).  

• Footprint Ecology reports and publications  
  A searchable free library of Footprint Ecology’s publications, with a particular focus on the effects of human impacts to protected wildlife sites across the UK.  

• Google Scholar 
  One of a number of free online search tools containing a wealth of published research evidence. 

• MIND: Wellbeing tips for everyday living  
  The UK mental health charity MIND provides online resources to help support everyday wellbeing, including information on managing stress, mindfulness and the mental health benefits of nature.  

• Planning Aid England  
  Charity that helps individuals and community groups in England (outside London) to get involved in the planning system through skills training, support and the provision of free planning advice. 

• Planning Aid for London  
  Charity that helps individuals and community groups in London to get involved in the planning system through skills training, support and the provision of free planning advice. 

• Town and Country Planning Association  
  Charity that works to empower people to have influence over decisions about their environments. The website includes information on all aspects of planning policy, including a Green Infrastructure Resource Library. 

• CPRE  
  Countryside charity (formerly known as Campaign to Protect Rural England) focusing on rural landscapes, communities and nature in England. 

• Natural England Research Reports 
  A catalogue of research reports undertaken by the English statutory nature conservation agency, Natural England. 

• English Nature Research Reports   
  Archive of research reports undertaken by the former England statutory nature conservation agency, English Nature. 

• Kent Planning Network for Nature  
  Online knowledge sharing community of members of the public, community groups and environmental organisations (including the RSPB) concerned with nature-positive planning in Kent. 

• Sussex Planning Network for Nature  
  Online knowledge sharing community of members of the public, community groups and environmental organisations (including the RSPB) concerned with nature-positive planning in Sussex. 

• Community Places  
  Charity that helps individuals and community groups in Northern Ireland to get involved in the planning system through the provision of free planning advice. 

• Birds of Conservation Concern in Ireland 2020-2026  
  The current conservation status of wild birds in Ireland, including birds of highest conservation concern (‘red list’) and medium conservation concern (‘amber list’). 

• Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DEARA) publications  
  Searchable library of information published by the Northern Ireland statutory nature conservation department, DAERA. 

• Planning Democracy  
  Organisation providing advice and support to help members of the public in Scotland to understand and engage effectively with planning policy and decision making, with a core aim of promoting environmental justice. Their website includes a series of webinars on the theme of nature and planning, as well as lots of other videos on other aspects of the planning system.

• Planning Aid Scotland  
  Charity that helps individuals and community groups in Scotland to get involved in the planning system through skills training, support and the provision of free planning advice. 

• Action to Protect Rural Scotland  
  Scottish countryside protection charity with a focus on rural landscapes, communities and countryside amenity. 

• Nature Scot resources  
  Searchable library of resources published by the Scottish statutory nature conservation agency, including guidance, commissioned work and research reports. 

• Planning Aid Wales  
  Charity that helps communities engage in planning matters in Wales through skills training, support and the provision of free planning advice. 

• CPRW  
  CPRW, the Welsh countryside charity (formerly known as Campaign to Protect Rural Wales), has a focus on rural landscapes, communities and nature. 

• Natural Resources Wales research and reports  
  Searchable library of resources published by the Welsh statutory nature conservation agency, including evidence reports, research and data.