ancient woodland

Business leaders are breathing ‘a sigh of relief’ now the government has given the HS2 rail project the go-ahead, but environmental campaigners are perturbed about the damage the line will cause to nature.

New figures have shown that the number of ancient woods under threat in the UK from built development has risen above 1,000 for the first time.

Updates to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) were published in July last year. One year on, how are the changes bedding in – and are they making a difference?

Some local planners are failing to use the changes to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) to safeguard trees and ancient woodland, according to the Woodland Trust.