14 Apr 2020

Natural England has published nine new draft Conservation Advice packages to enable developers and operators to understand the impact of their proposed development on habitats and species in protected sites across England. These new packages of online advice, now available on the Natural England’s Designated Site System, cover sites which are home to England’s seahorses, black […]

20 Nov 2018

Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS) will become mandatory for new property developments in Wales from next year, following regulations introduced by the Welsh Government. As part of the regulations, ‘SuDS Approving Bodies’ or ‘SABs’ will be set up within every local authority to approve drainage plans. The SAB or local planning authorities will have powers to […]

07 Nov 2017

United Utilities has become the first water company to introduce a charging scheme for developers to encourage them not to connect new developments to the public sewer network. The company has told developers that from next April, development sites that do not connect surface water flows to the public sewer network will receive a discount […]

02 Jul 2017

The Zoological Society of London (ZSL) has published guidance on fish conservation for planners, developers, local authority officers and consultants, with the goal of improving fish conservation in the Tidal Thames region, encompassing all Local Authorities adjoining the River Thames between Teddington Lock and Gravesend. ZSL spoke to developers about this guidance at a Thames […]

13 Feb 2017

The Times and Financial Times have followed up on news from Natural England on great crested newts, the mention of them in the housing white paper and a ‘newt offsetting scheme’, to the announcement in the Financial times on Friday that ‘developers had triumphed over the great crested’ new in relation to the Habitats Directive. […]