You can help wildlife and nature recovery by actively participating in the planning system. Rather than only reacting to potentially damaging planning applications, it’s more effective to change the policies that govern planning decisions.

Most local authorities will provide plans and other documents for a planning application online. If not, you can ask the local planning authority to send you copies. Read everything thoroughly. If you don’t understand something, you can ask the case officer or look at Planning Aid Wales.

Meeting representatives including Members of Parliament, Members of the Senned (Wales), Member of the Scottish Parliament (Scotland) and Member of the Legislative Assembley (Northern Ireland)

The Wildlife Trusts believe that development should not come at the expense of our natural environment. All development, be it housing, commercial or infrastructure must be designed and delivered in a way that contributes to nature’s recovery, not its decline.

Planning permission is generally needed for any development. This means building, engineering, mining or other activity that makes changes to the use of land, or changes to existing buildings. There are exceptions that do not count as development, such as maintenance, changes to the interior of a building, agriculture, forestry and changes to gardens.

Our guide to booking an overnight stay on Skomer and Skokholm.

A planning application can be decided by the case officer or by the planning committee. Usually, wildlife concerns are addressed by conditions. These can relate to construction methods, mitigation and compensation and the aftercare and management of the site.