Hedgehog highways and bird-safe glass might become compulsory for all new buildings, as House of Lords members push amendments to the government’s planning bill. This could potentially burden developers with laws on nature measures, such as “swift bricks.” The new Lords amendments propose mandating wild animal-friendly design and architecture for new buildings, which will be debated in parliament. Nature groups have criticized the planning and infrastructure bill, claiming it could allow developers to ignore environmental protection rules and create a “cash to trash nature” system. The peers hope these amendments will help mitigate the negative impact of new developments on wildlife, including the estimated 30 million birds that die each year after flying into windows in the UK.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/sep/11/hedgehog-highways-requirement-new-buildings-lords-planning-bill-government
