Committee publication · Correspondence · 8 July 2025
Correspondence from the Animal Sentience Committee on planning policy reform, dated 24 June 2025
From: Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee
Inquiry: Animal and plant health
Summary
The Animal Sentience Committee writes to the EFRA Committee on the Planning and Infrastructure Bill, arguing that while the government's planning reform aims to boost housing and infrastructure, the Bill overlooks impacts on wild animal welfare. The Committee calls for planning policies to explicitly consider sentient animals' welfare alongside biodiversity goals, and recommends measures including impact assessments during construction, welfare-conscious design, and guidance for developers.
Key findings
- The Planning and Infrastructure Bill does not mention animal welfare, despite government's statutory duty under the Animal Welfare (Sentience) Act 2022 to pay due regard to sentience impacts.
- Current net biodiversity approaches may permit destruction of existing animal habitats if offset by new habitats elsewhere, effectively trading the lives and welfare of currently existing animals for potential future species benefits.
- Wild animals face direct (machinery strikes), indirect (habitat destruction), and displacement harms that are not addressed in the Bill's framework, regardless of conservation status.
- The Committee proposes three complementary approaches: construction-phase impact predictions, welfare-conscious design features (wildlife corridors, roadkill reduction, light pollution control), and pet sufficiency assessments for housing.
- Natural England should consider welfare impacts of all sentient animals affected by developments when drafting Environmental Delivery Plans, and developers require guidance on reducing animal welfare risks.
Tone
CriticalTopics
Key actors
Animal Sentience Committee, Dr Penny Hawkins, Professor Christine Nicol, Michael Seals CBE, Alistair Carmichael, Natural England, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Notable line
“Planning policies and decisions will impact the lives and welfare of countless wild animals …”
Key Quotes
“The Planning and Infrastructure Bill does not mention the welfare of sentient animals, although it is incumbent on the government to pay all due regard to the ways a policy might impact on animal welfare.”
“From an animal welfare perspective, the PIB is effectively weighing the lives, and wellbeing, of currently existing wild animals on the one hand, against the existence and welfare of future animals who would live in the new habitats created to offset the impact of developments on the other.”
“A requirement to predict and consider the impact on animal welfare during construction would be beneficial. This could result in measures such as avoiding breeding seasons and placing developments away from established habitats or feeding grounds wherever possible.”
“For clarity and noting my committee's statutory powers under the Animal Welfare (Sentience) Act 2022, this opinion does not constitute a formal report that requires a government response.”
Source · parliament.uk record ↗