England’s planning system gains new tools to restore nature while keeping well‑planned projects on track. A statutory instrument made at 2.20 p.m. on 18 December 2025 activates powers for Environmental Delivery Plans from 19 December 2025 and schedules further reforms for 18 February 2026.

Environmental Delivery Plans (EDPs) will set out which environmental features need recovering or protecting, the pressures they face, and the conservation measures to be funded over a defined period. The instrument also switches on consultation and monitoring duties, requires Natural England to notify the Secretary of State when it starts an EDP, and places a legal duty on public authorities to co‑operate.

To pay for delivery, the Planning and Infrastructure Act 2025 introduces a nature restoration levy. Money raised must be spent on conservation measures linked to the feature affected, with regulations able to define eligible activity and require Natural England to publish a list of fundable measures. The design is intended to tie restoration spend to real‑world impacts.

Wider planning changes begin on 18 February 2026. National Policy Statements will undergo regular reviews with a strengthened parliamentary check for material updates, and there are changes to how legal challenges are handled for nationally significant infrastructure. The goal is to keep strategy current while giving projects clearer ground rules.

The same date also standardises how development corporations operate. All types gain express duties to have regard to sustainable development, climate change and good design, with aligned infrastructure powers and clearer rules where proposed areas overlap. That should reduce confusion about remit and help schemes plan with confidence.

Compulsory purchase is being modernised. From 18 February 2026, confirming authorities can attach conditions when approving orders, notices are simplified, and earlier vesting of land is possible in defined circumstances, including by agreement. Transitional rules protect orders already advertised or acquisitions already authorised.

What to do now: local authorities should align emerging EDPs with Local Nature Recovery Strategies, set up joint teams with Natural England, and publish open data so communities can see priorities and progress. Government’s Environmental Improvement Plan 2025 expects all 48 LNRS to be published and embedded across planning, making coordination essential.

For developers, the signal is to design with restoration from the first sketch. Budget for levy payments once charging schedules are consulted on, show how proposals avoid harm to priority features, and use pre‑application time to test EDP alignment. Communities should watch for Natural England’s public notices, respond with local knowledge, and propose projects that deliver access, flood resilience and nature gains.

The need is stark but solvable. The State of Nature 2023 report shows UK species abundance down 19% on average since 1970, with nearly one in six species at risk of being lost from Great Britain and farmland birds down 58%. Targeted investment through EDPs can help bend those trends if delivery stays disciplined and transparent.

Accountability begins quickly. Natural England must publish an annual report on EDP functions from 1 April 2026, giving campaigners, councils and investors a clear view of spend and outcomes. If reports track delivery against plan, this package could finally connect planning decisions to measurable nature recovery on the ground.