Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to support communities in delivering nature recovery, improving biodiversity and delivering positive environmental outcomes alongside new development.

The Government is committed to delivering positive environmental outcomes alongside the housing and infrastructure our communities urgently need. Local Nature Recovery Strategies are being prepared across England, to enable communities to set priorities for biodiversity and environmental improvement and propose where action is most needed. Mandatory Biodiversity Net Gain requires developments to achieve a 10% improvement in biodiversity. The Nature Restoration Fund will accelerate housing and infrastructure alongside delivering improved environmental outcomes for habitats and species. The Government is also working with local stakeholders to deliver at least 20 Protected Site Strategies by 2030 to tackle pollution and habitat degradation.