Use your voice to make sure nature is at the heart of planning changes

Imagine 30% of our land and seas protected for nature by 2030. Imagine our wildlife given the space to thrive. We can be the ones who start this revival. But only if we make sure nature is at the heart of the way the UK Government plans to use our land.  
  
Take action now and send a personalised message to your MP to let them know that nature needs to be at the core of the discussions about planning and development. 

Use your voice.

The UK is one of the most nature depleted places on earth. We’ve already lost so much of our wildlife and so many of our wild places. In the last 50 years we’ve seen 38 million birds vanish from our skies.   
  
In December 2022, countries around the world, including the UK, agreed to protect and manage 30% of their land and sea for nature by 2030. These targets are known as 30x30.  
  
Everyone needs nature. It gives us the clean air we breathe, the water we drink and healthy soils to help grow nutritious food.  We know that having access to explore wild places means healthier people and communities. Nature needs 30x30, and so do we.    

In Labour’s General Election campaign, they committed to making 30x30 happen, but right now we’re way off hitting that target. Since being elected, the UK Government has made positive statements that they intend to deliver on this commitment, but we’re waiting for further details.  
  
The King’s Speech included their aims to reform the planning system to speed up the delivery of high-quality infrastructure and housing. Ambitions for the creation of new clean power projects across the UK were also laid out.   
  
These are vital steps, but we need to make sure all development is done in the right way so it delivers for people and nature. Only then can the UK Government fulfil the UK’s promise of hitting 30x30.  

We don’t have long to reach our targets. We need to ensure:    

• Our most important protected sites for wildlife remain protected. As we face the risk of losing one in six species from the UK, our existing habitats  – from ancient woodland to thriving reedbeds  – need to stay safe. We know that new homes and green energy are vital, but it’s essential that building happens in the right place and in the right way.

 

• Nature is built into building plans from the very start. This could be Swift bricks and Hedgehog highways in new homes, or wildlife-rich hedgerows surrounding solar farms. If every development did this, imagine what a big boost it would be to wildlife like our birds, bees, and Hedgehogs.  Communities would also have the chance to connect to the natural world right on their doorstep. 

 

• We’re smart about how we plan to use our land and sea, so that we can help our wildlife bounce back and hit our climate targets. This means building well insulated new homes and workspaces, using clean energy like solar panels and heat pumps. It also means any major developments such as wind farms are built away from our most valuable places for nature while delivering other green energy projects which include space for wildlife.   

 

• More funding is directed towards Local Authorities, Natural England and the Environment Agency to ensure they have the resources to work swiftly and efficiently. We need to speed up building – but always with nature in mind.   

Our easy-to-use tool will help you develop a personalised message to send to your MP, based on the issues that matter most to you. By speaking up together, we can make sure nature is at the heart of the way the UK Government plan to use our land.

Take action now.