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Hedgehog highways and bird-safe glass could become requirements for all new buildings as members of the House of Lords push through amendments to the government’s planning bill.
This may cause a headache for ministers, who have tried to avoid burdening developers with laws on nature measures such as “swift bricks”. The new Lords amendments include mandated provision for these nesting boxes, which campaigners say are crucial for the survival of the threatened species.
A cross-bench group of peers has tabled amendments to ensure new buildings must have wild animal-friendly design and architecture, including hedgehog highways and bird nesting boxes.
These amendments will then be debated in parliament and the peers have written to ministers asking them to adopt the measures.
Nature groups have been heavily critical of the planning and infrastructure bill, which is going through the House of Lords. Guardian analysis has found that more than 5,000 nature sites could be at risk if it goes ahead. Experts have said the bill could allow developers to ignore environmental protection rules and create a “cash to trash nature” system. This is because it allows developers to pay into a nature restoration fund rather than ensure they protect wildlife on sites.
The peers hope the amendments will go some way towards alleviating the damage to nature caused by new developments. They said an estimated 30m birds die – often slowly and painfully – after flying into windows in the UK each year, and argue that this could be reduced by up to 90% by mandating the use of bird-safe glass, which Britain is an industry leader in manufacturing.
A low-cost measure that could save animal lives is a requirement for hedgehog highways – small openings cut at ground level in fences or walls so hedgehogs can move freely between gardens and green spaces to find food and mates.
The government’s animal sentience committee has previously criticised the bill for ignoring the welfare of animals affected by construction and building design. They warned the plans mean birds, hares, rabbits, voles and hedgehogs could be killed by machinery, starved as food sources are removed, or have their homes destroyed.
The chancellor, Rachel Reeves, and the prime minister, Keir Starmer, have previously complained that protection of bats, newts, snails and spiders impedes housebuilding and economic growth.
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Alexandra Freeman, the cross-bench peer who tabled the bird-safe glass amendment, said: “Birds can’t see glass and think they can fly through it – but bird-safe glass, using ultra-violet coatings, and simple tweaks to building design, can reduce the chances of a collision by over 90%, for a very low cost.
“The UK lags behind many other countries in legislation on this, oddly, despite being a leading manufacturer of bird-safe glass globally. I hope the government sees this as an easy win for householders, businesses and birds and backs the amendment.”
Libby Anderson, the secretary of the wild animal welfare committee, said: “The government’s own welfare watchdog has criticised the planning and infrastructure bill for overlooking the fact that planning policies and decisions will impact the lives and welfare of countless sentient wild animals.
“We know that ministers are sincerely committed to promoting animal welfare. So we hope the government will amend the bill to bring in practical steps to protect animals during construction, and to ensure that wild animal welfare is systematically considered in all stages of the planning and development process.”
A government spokesperson said: “Our landmark planning and infrastructure bill will see a win-win for both nature and housebuilding. Existing laws already protect wildlife during construction, including birds and hedgehogs, and planning policy supports the use of wildlife-friendly features in and around new buildings including swift bricks.”
