Biodiversity: New Towns
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of exempting new towns from Biodiversity Net Gain requirements.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook
On 28 September 2025, the government published the independent New Towns Taskforce report as well as its initial response to that report. Both can be found on gov.uk here.
As set out in the initial government response, we warmly welcome all 12 of the locations it has recommend. Prima facie, each has the clear potential to deliver on the government’s objectives, with Tempsford, Crews Hill and Leeds South Bank looking particularly promising as sites that might make significant contributions to unlocking economic growth and accelerating housing delivery.
On 28 September 2025, we commenced a Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) to understand the environmental implications of new towns development. This will support final decisions on precisely which locations we take forward. No final decisions on locations will be made until that SEA concludes and preferred locations could change as a result of the process.
Ministers and officials will now begin work with local partners to develop detailed proposals and enhance our understanding of how different locations might meet the government’s expectations of what a future New Towns Programme can deliver, with all promising sites and reasonable alternatives assessed and considered through the SEA process. Appropriate assessment under the Habitats Regulations will also be undertaken when required.
Development within new towns would be subject to Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) subject to the normal exemptions in place at the time of development.
On 28 May 2025, the government published the Planning Reform Working Paper: Reforming Site Thresholds which can be found on gov.uk here. We are currently considering the responses received and will set out next steps in due course.
On the same day, the government published a consultation on improving the implementation of biodiversity net gain for minor, medium and brownfield development which can be found on gov.uk here. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is considering the responses received.
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