The government has delayed plans to introduce its Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) legislation.

Under the policy originally set to become mandatory in November, under English planning rules, approved as part of the 2021 Environment Act, developers would be required to deliver a biodiversity gain on or off-site of a 10% minimum.

“It’s an important piece of legislation because 50% of the UK economy is linked to nature,” says Simon Richards, managing director of Land Studio. “Unfortunately, the UK is one of the most biodiversity depleted countries in the world, so restoring our natural environments is critical to building our future green economy.”

The government has reportedly said it is still committed to the policy and would soon announce a new implementation date.

“This delay is another blow to our struggling UK diversity and battle against climate change.”

The delay, which The Wildlife Trusts is calling ‘another hammer blow to nature’, comes a week after prime minister Rishi Sunak’s net zero U-turn announcement, with plans to delay the ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars from 2030 to 2035, and the phasing out of gas boilers.