Nature Not a Blocker to Housing

The Environmental Audit Committee has published a report on Environmental Sustainability and Housing Growth, concluding that nature is not a “blocker” to new housing and warning that environmental protections must not be weakened as the Government pursues its housebuilding targets.

The cross-party Committee challenges what it describes as a “lazy narrative” that environmental rules obstruct development. Instead, MPs say a healthy natural environment is essential for resilient, sustainable communities.

The Committee stresses that nature is not a barrier to delivering new homes, and warns strongly against weakening environmental safeguards, an approach that aligns with RSN’s view that rural communities need the right homes in the right places, supported by strong protections for sensitive landscapes.

Key Findings

• Skills shortages are a major barrier, not environmental regulation.
  MPs highlight severe shortages of ecologists, planners and construction specialists. Staff at Natural England are described as “stretched to their limits”.
• Planning rule changes risk sidelining environmental safeguards.
  The strengthened presumption in favour of sustainable development may encourage unsustainable or speculative development unless stronger protections are put in place.
• Better data and cross-government working are urgently needed.
  Fragmented data systems hinder effective planning. MPs call for a unified national geospatial and environmental data platform.
• Support for Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) but caution against widening exemptions.
  Exempting small sites could undermine the policy’s effectiveness.
• Stronger incentives for greener, low-carbon homes.
  Recommendations include reviewing Council Tax and Stamp Duty to reward low-carbon properties and prioritising retrofit over demolition.

Read the full report here

Why Does This Matter For Rural Areas?

The Committee’s findings echo several themes in Delivering for All, especially around capacity, environmental protection and the need for rural-proofed planning. Rural planning authorities face some of the greatest pressures: extensive protected landscapes, limited specialist ecological capacity and rising need for affordable homes.

The report makes clear that nature is not a barrier to delivering housing, and warns strongly against treating nature as an “inconvenience”. For rural communities, where landscapes, habitats, biodiversity and natural capital are central to identity, wellbeing and local economies, this message is highly relevant.

The Committee highlights issues long recognised by rural authorities:

• Severe skills shortages in planning and ecology leave councils struggling to assess environmental impacts, protect sensitive areas and secure the right homes in the right places.
• Fragmented data systems and weak cross-government coordination undermine effective planning, a particular challenge for rural areas where national averages often mask local need and environmental pressures.
• Strong environmental safeguards are vital to prevent speculative, poorly located or environmentally unsustainable development.
• Rural communities require tailored, affordable housing solutions, not broad planning relaxations that could risk sensitive landscapes or override local need.

The Committee’s findings echo RSN’s core message that thriving rural communities rely on both strong environmental protection and the right homes in the right places. Sustainable, community-led development, supported by proper infrastructure, is essential if rural areas are to grow without losing the landscapes and natural assets that define them.