Cityscape of Worcester (c) Steve Bloomfield
Development can cause serious harm to wildlife but it does not have to. Indeed with careful thought new development can deliver valuable biodiversity enhancement, so our planning role is as much about promoting positive outcomes as it is about fighting harmful proposals.
Our planning ethos
We are committed to working in partnership with planners, developers, communities and other environmental bodies across Worcestershire to ensure that the development decisions made are as environmentally sustainable as possible. We campaign for the inclusion of wildlife in the decision-making process and aim to ensure that biodiversity is fully considered in every planning application.
We are not anti-development. Indeed we are acutely aware of the need for economic growth. We do not believe that development is necessarily bad, in fact there are situations where the sensitive re-use of a site can provide significant benefit for wildlife. We aim to ensure that such benefits are realised whilst striving to reduce the damaging results of poor planning decisions.
Our input is based on objective evidence and our understanding of the legislation and policy underpinning planning today and we work hard to ensure that our advice to Local Authorities is both independent and as accurate as possible. This is particularly relevant because Local Authorities are required by law to take wildlife into account in every decision they make. By working in partnership with them and other stakeholders we can help to ensure that they fulfil their responsibilities and help us to carry forward the conservation agenda.
Planning help and advice
For more information on how the Trust engages with the planning process and for guidance on how you can best comment on applications near you please download our planning document.
If you have a specific planning query please contact the Trust's planning officer Steven Bloomfield. If your question relates to a planning application it would be helpful if you could include the application number in your email.
Planning News
For up to date information on the ongoing reform of the planning system and other planning news please visit The Wildlife Trusts and our news pages.