Ministers ‘break word’ on protecting nature after weakening biodiversity planning rule
The government has broken its promise to protect nature by weakening planning rules for housing developers, groups have said.While developers once had to create “biodiversity net gain” (BNG), meaning creating 10% more space for nature on site than there was before the building took place, the housing minister Matthew Pennycook announced exemptions to this rule on Tuesday.Under the new rules developments under 0.2 hectares are exempted from the policy.Analysis from the Wildlife Trusts has found that this means a combined area across England the size of Windsor forest will now not be restored for nature.
The move is part of a bigger package to help the government meet its target to build 1,5m homes by the end of this parliament,This includes a default “yes” to suitable homes being built around rail stations, and a possible exemption from the building safety levy for small and medium-sized housebuilders,Wildlife Trusts CEO, Craig Bennett, accused the housing secretary, Steve Reed, of breaking a promise to him,He said: “In January of this year when he was environment secretary, Steve Reed made a solemn promise that the government was ‘committed to biodiversity net gain’.
Now, as housing secretary, he has broken his word,”Nature groups have also complained the rule change puts private investment in nature at risk,Private firms have already generated £320m into habitat restoration since the BNG rules were put into place in February 2024,Beccy Speight, the chief executive of the RSPB, said: “The decision to exempt sites under 0,2 hectares from BNG flies in the face of the UK government’s promise to be ‘the most nature-positive government this nation has ever had’.
It’s a blow for nature, for local communities and for business confidence in the future of BNG.”Wildlife and Countryside Link has warned that exempting so many small sites could still “wreck the policy altogether”, particularly when small developments dominate England’s planning system.About 95% of planning applications are for sites under 1 hectare, 88% under 0.5 hectares, and 77% under 0.2 hectares.
Reed said: “Right now we see a planning system that still isn’t working well enough.A system saying ‘no’ more often than it says ‘yes’ and that favours obstructing instead of building.“It has real-world consequences for those aspiring to own a home of their own and those hoping to escape so-called temporary accommodation – we owe it to the people of this country to do everything within our power to build the homes they deserve.”The plans could reduce the need for brownfield sites to deliver BNG.Pennycook announced the government would consult on how to ensure the system supports brownfield-first development, while making it easier and cheaper to deliver biodiverse habitats offsite through simplified rules.
The government is currently consulting on whether, and how, nationally significant infrastructure projects such as airports, roads and waste incineration plants, should achieve biodiversity net gain.Nature campaigners have said ministers should hold these projects to a high standard in order to prevent mass habitat destruction.Richard Benwell, the CEO of Wildlife and Countryside Link, said: “To meet its electoral promise of halting wildlife decline, government should strengthen green economy rules, not shrink them.Rapidly applying net gain to all major infrastructure and stopping developers dodging their environmental responsibilities should be clear priorities, not more carveouts.“So far, this has been a parliament of delay and relentless deregulatory threats to nature.
The public outcry in support of net gain must be a last-chance wake-up call that environmental promises weren’t a ballot box bonus.Restoring nature and stopping pollution are a key test of the government’s credibility and it’s time for action.”
Paddy Power and Betfair to pay £2m settlement after failing to protect users
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Warner Bros Discovery is poised to tell shareholders to reject Paramount’s $108bn (£81bn) hostile bid, according to reports, clearing the way for Netflix to proceed with its buyout of the Hollywood film and TV group.The board could announce a decision as early as Wednesday after Paramount Skydance – run by David Ellison and bankrolled by his billionaire father, Larry, who founded Oracle – went directly to shareholders with its rival offer almost two weeks ago.Netflix had won the auction for the studio and streaming company with an $82.7bn bid a few days earlier – taking control of prize assets including the Harry Potter and DC Comics superhero film franchises, as well as HBO, home to hit shows including Game of Thrones, The White Lotus and Succession.The streaming company’s deal does not cover WBD’s cable channels, which include CNN, TBS and TNT, which are set to be spun off into a separate company next year
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US date rape survivors file lawsuit accusing Hinge and Tinder of ‘accommodating rapists’
The Dating Apps Reporting Project produced this story in partnership with the Pulitzer Center’s AI Accountability Network and The Markup, now a part of CalMatters, and copublished with The Guardian and The 19th.Six women who were drugged and raped or sexually assaulted by the same Denver cardiologist filed a lawsuit against Match Group on Tuesday, accusing the world’s largest dating app company of “accommodating rapists across its products” through “negligence” and a “defective” product.The women, backed by four law firms, said that by allowing known abusers like Stephen Matthews to remain on its apps, Tinder and Hinge, even after they are reported for rape, the company fostered a breeding ground for “sexual predators”.“Even when Match Group receives reports about rapists, they continue to welcome them, fail to warn users about the general and specific risks, and affirmatively recommend known predators to members,” the complaint said. “Rapists know each Match Group platform offers a catalog of available victims
Jofra Archer steps up to show his true value lies beyond pundits’ stereotypes | Barney Ronay
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England consider formal complaint after Snicko error costs Carey’s wicket
England are considering a formal complaint over the Snicko technology being used in this Ashes series after Alex Carey received a lifeline en route to a telling century on the opening day of the third Test.Carey, who made 106 in Australia’s 326 for eight by stumps, was on 72 when Josh Tongue believed the left-hander had edged behind. He was given not out on the field and the third umpire, Chris Gaffaney, felt he did not have enough evidence to overturn the decision despite a spike showing up on the review.This issue in this instance was that the spike came before any possible contact on the replay, whereas similar occurrences earlier in the series have seen it come afterwards and are factored into the umpiring protocols.With Carey later admitting he thought he had hit the ball – the wicketkeeper said he would have reviewed in hope had it been given out on the field – BBG, the company that owns Snicko, owned up to the mistake, which came with Australia 245 for six
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