More than 100 conservationists, scientists, public figures and businesses have urged Andy Burnham to stop new planning rules they say would let developers avoid environmental protections by paying into a national levy instead. Critics argue the environmental delivery plans, introduced through the Planning and Infrastructure Act, could weaken long-standing biodiversity safeguards at a time when concern about nature loss is growing, including warnings that ecological damage threatens food supply and national security. The issue matters because the regulations would change how development is approved in England and Wales and could reshape the balance between housebuilding or infrastructure and environmental protection.

The immediate focus is the nature restoration levy regulations 2026, which are due to be debated in the House of Lords and must be approved by both the Lords and Commons before the system becomes operational. Planning lawyer Alexa Culver told peers the rules would let ministers alter levy rates without consulting Natural England or developers, creating what she described as unchecked power and, in theory, allowing the price to be set as low as £1. The government says levy rates will have to cover the conservation measures required by each plan, but opponents say England could undercut environmental standards still applied across EU countries such as France, Germany, the Netherlands and Ireland.