(qlmbusinessnews.com . Mon 17th Nov, 2025) London, UK —
U.K. Housing Crisis: Can We Achieve 1.5 Million New Homes Without Harming Nature?
In a recent report, a bipartisan group of MPs has cautioned that perceiving nature as an impediment to housing expansion could lead the government to fall short of its objectives in both housing and environmental preservation. The Environmental Audit Committee (EAC) criticised the current Planning and Infrastructure Bill for bypassing established habitat protections, which the government has identified as an obstacle to achieving its ambition of constructing 1.5 million homes by the end of this parliamentary session.
Released on Sunday, the EAC’s findings indicate that the proposed measures in the bill are insufficient for the government to meet its housing and environmental goals. The committee criticised the government's approach, suggesting that blaming nature for planning system challenges undermines efforts to address real issues within the system.
A spokesperson for the Ministry of Housing countered by describing the reforms as a solution to a “failing system,” claiming that these changes would benefit both the economy and the environment. The present Labour administration has pledged to erect 1.5 million new residences in England by 2029, aiming to alleviate the housing crisis and stimulate economic growth.
The government's reform plan includes streamlining the planning process to accelerate construction on smaller plots by overlooking existing protections for habitats and nature. However, the proposed legislation, now in its final stages of parliamentary review, would permit developers to contribute to general environmental enhancements and a nature restoration fund aimed at improving habitats elsewhere.
Contrary to the government's stance, the EAC argues that nature is not a hindrance but a vital component for creating resilient communities. The report urges the government to tackle the skills deficit in ecology, planning, and construction sectors rather than viewing nature as a nuisance.
The EAC's report highlights the main causes of delays in housing delivery as unclear policies, land banking, and skills shortages, rather than environmental regulations. It also recommends incentivising the construction and inhabitation of eco-friendly homes, and the retrofitting of existing buildings, alongside suggestions to support the manufacturing of green construction materials and tax adjustments to favour environmentally sustainable homes.
Environmental advocates, including Friends of the Earth, have criticised the Planning & Infrastructure Bill for failing to address the urgent need for quality housing and for jeopardising the country's already struggling natural habitats. Paul De Zylva, a nature campaigner with Friends of the Earth, stressed the need for the government to prioritise its legal commitments to nature conservation over its current focus on unrestricted growth.
Responding to the criticisms, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government defended the reforms, highlighting the introduction of the Nature Restoration Fund as a means to reconcile housing needs with environmental recovery. They argued that these changes would enable the construction of the urgently needed 1.5 million homes without compromising nature's wellbeing.
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