Labour 's planning bill will enable Natural England to 'acquire land compulsorily' to build nature reserves and other havens for wildlife.
A quango that previously prompted HS2 to construct a bat tunnel is set to receive new powers allowing it to purchase land to offset environmental damage from new developments. Labour's planning bill will enable Natural England to acquire land to build nature reserves and other wildlife havens. Instead of developers compensating for environmental damage upfront, they would pay into a Nature Restoration Fund overseen by Natural England. This measure is intended to streamline projects, but critics express concern over potential overreach.
