Bedford Borough Council says it employs a “reactive” approach to planning enforcement following a study that claims developers are “failing to deliver” promised wildlife enhancements.
Nearly half of the nature-friendly measures promised by developers building new homes across the country have failed to materialise, according to a new study that highlights breaches of planning conditions designed to protect and enhance biodiversity.
Researchers from the University of Sheffield, working with the environmental group Wild Justice, surveyed nearly 6,000 new homes across 42 completed housing estates in England.
Their findings revealed that only 53 per cent of the ecological enhancements legally mandated as part of planning permissions had been delivered.
These measures included tree planting, bird boxes, ponds, hedgerows, and other wildlife-friendly features. The study uncovered significant gaps in developers’ commitments.
Nearly 40 per cent of trees detailed in planting plans were missing or dead, while 75 per cent of bird and bat boxes were absent.
The report added that none of the planned bug boxes were found, and 83 per cent of promised hedgehog highways had not been provided, and nearly half of native hedges were missing.
Also, 60 per cent of wet grassland areas designed to support biodiversity had not been created.
Wild Justice criticised the lack of effective regulation in holding developers to account.
“This is regulatory failure – developers cheat the system and nothing happens – except wildlife loses out, yet again,” its spokesperson said.
Responding to the findings, a spokesperson for Bedford Borough Council explained the authority’s approach to monitoring compliance with planning conditions.
“The council employs a reactive approach to planning enforcement, responding to requests to investigate potential planning breaches rather than employing additional staff to visit developments on a systematic basis,” a council spokesperson said.
The council produces an annual Planning Monitoring Report (PMR), which reviews development activity and evaluates the effectiveness of adopted policies.
Future editions of the PMR will include progress with implementing Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) requirements, the spokesperson added.
“The action taken to enforce planning obligations necessarily varies from case to case depending on the specific circumstances of any breach,” they said.
Wild Justice was approached for a comment on the borough council’s statement, but it did not respond at the time of publication.
by John Guinn
Local Democracy Reporter
