The Government has announced that it will be delaying the implementation of new environmental laws which will see developers compelled to meet targets which will improve countryside and wildlife habitats.
As discussed in our recent series of articles, Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) was supposed to become a mandatory part of the planning system in November.
However, in yet another U-turn by Government, it has been confirmed by sources that this will be delayed until January 2024.
The news comes as a disappointment, as the November deadline is what developers have been planning for, and investing in, for several months as part of their recent planning applications.
Indeed, many have already spent a great deal on instructing consultants to undertake biodiversity metric analysis and accompanying reports ahead of the legislation coming in.
The delay will disappoint environmentalists, delaying the environmental benefits that would have arisen from the requirement for 10% BNG to be baked into development plans, however with Government belatedly confirming the revised deadline of January 2024, the delay will not be extensive.