Natural England has launched the first consultation on an Environmental Delivery Plan (EDP) under the Nature Restoration Fund, marking an important step in the Government’s plans to link development with more coordinated action for nature recovery.
The Nature Restoration Fund (NRF) was established through the Planning and Infrastructure Act 2025. It is intended to provide developers with an alternative way of meeting certain environmental obligations relating to protected sites and species, while allowing conservation measures to be planned and delivered on a wider scale.
Under the new approach, Natural England will assess specified environmental impacts from development within an area and set out conservation measures through an Environmental Delivery Plan. Developers choosing to participate can pay a levy into the Fund, with contributions from different developments pooled to support coordinated environmental action.