Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask His Majesty's Government what the relationship will be between the biodiversity net gain rules and the future Nature Restoration Fund.

Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

Last year the Environment Act introduced a new mandatory Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) requirement of 10% for new developments, subject to some exceptions.

The Nature Restoration Fund will be in addition to BNG and will run concurrently, focusing on enabling development in areas where that has stalled due to specific environmental obligations relating to impacts on protected sites or species in those areas

We will ensure that developers receive a user-friendly experience and that BNG credit and the Nature Restoration Fund revenue is deployed in a joined-up manner to maximise environmental outcomes.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will include measures to promote nature recovery in the Future Homes Standard.

Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

We intend to publish the Future Homes Standard later this year. The focus of the Future Homes Standard will be to ensure new homes are highly energy efficient and that they are zero carbon ready, meaning they will become zero carbon as the electricity grid fully decarbonises, without the need for any retrofit work.

While nature recovery is beyond the scope of the Future Homes Standard, the National Planning Policy Framework is clear that planning policies and decisions should contribute to and enhance the natural and local environment by minimising impacts on and providing net gains for biodiversity, including by establishing coherent ecological networks that are more resilient to current and future pressures and incorporating features which support priority or threatened species such as swifts, bats and hedgehogs.

Furthermore, the National Model Design Code and Natural England’s Green Infrastructure Framework set out how development can incorporate a range of nature friendly features including hedgehog highways, bee bricks, and bricks with a hole which can benefit sparrows, tree sparrows, swifts, starling, and bats.

These combined approaches will ensure that we are able to support the environment as well as helping us deliver the housing and infrastructure we need.

Found: Best; Viscount Chandos; Baroness Drake; Lord Gilbert of Panteg; Baroness Harding of Winscombe; Lord Teverson