Property Development: Nature Conservation
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking with the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government to support Wildlife Crime Officers and National Wildlife Crime Units to charge developers that contravene the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.
Answered by Mary Creagh
In England, a range of legislation provides strong protections for wildlife species and their habitats. Key frameworks such as the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (WCA) and the Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2017 make it an offence to deliberately harm, disturb or otherwise interfere with protected species, except where permitted under licence.
In practice, this means development and land management activities must account for protected species at an early stage and either avoid impacts or, where necessary, secure appropriate mitigation and licensing. These frameworks are designed not to prevent activity outright, but to ensure that impacts on wildlife are minimised and that long-term recovery and sustainability are supported.
If a developer is investigated and found to have committed an offence under the WCA then they can get up to a six-month prison sentence and/or an unlimited fine. Wildlife crime is unacceptable. Defra is a principal funder of the National Wildlife Crime Unit which helps prevent and detect wildlife crime and directly assists law enforcers in their investigations. Defra is providing £530,000 to the Unit in 2026/27.
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