Content

The
Council voted (5 voting in favour, 13 voting against, 0 abstaining
from voting) on an amendment submitted by Councillor Dan Lentell,
which was defeated.
 
 
A vote
was taken (unanimous, with Councillor Richard Stobart abstaining
from the vote) and the altered motion was carried as
follows:

 
“Council notes: 

         
I.        
That Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG), introduced in the
2021 Environment Act, was designed to ensure new developments leave
nature in a better state than before. 

       
II.        
That the Labour Government has consulted on
exempting minor developments (up to 9 dwellings on sites up to 1
hectare) from BNG requirements and weakening BNG requirements for
medium developments (10-49 dwellings on sites up to 1
hectare). 

      
III.        
That sites up to 1 hectare make up a large
proportion of developments nationally, and if all were to be
exempted from BNG requirements an estimated £250 million per
year in habitat creation and restoration would be
lost. 

     
IV.        
That this weakening of BNG comes at a time when the
UK is already one of the most nature-depleted countries in the
world. 

      
V.        
In July 2025, an open letter from industry leaders
and environmental charities, including the Wildlife Trust, urged
the UK Government to get BNG back on track across
England.  

     
VI.        
That Liberal Democrats and all members of our
council have consistently called for stronger protections for
biodiversity, climate action, and local environmental safeguards,
and for giving local councils the powers and resources to deliver
them. 
 
Council
believes: 

A.   
That Labour’s proposal to weaken BNG
represents a serious step backwards, undermining nature recovery,
climate resilience, and community wellbeing. 

B.   
That residents in South Cambridgeshire want new
housing and infrastructure that works with nature, not against it,
and are deeply concerned at yet another government is
planning to water down environmental standards. 

C.   
That South Cambridgeshire District Council has shown
that it is possible to both promote biodiversity and economic
growth simultaneously – as evidenced by the award-winning
network of BNG habitat banks across the Greater Cambridge area and
that the DCN has reported that last year, South Cambridgeshire had
the highest percentage growth in its housing stock of any English
local authority. 
 
Council
resolves: 

1.    
To request that the Leader write to the Secretary of
State for Housing, Communities and Local
Government: 

a.    
to express our concern at the Government’s
proposals to weaken BNG by exempting smaller developments; 

b.   
to implore that they abandon these specific
proposals immediately and instead explore other ways to
support SME developers that strengthen, rather than not weaken,
environmental safeguards in planning; and 

c.    
to promote, through reference to our local
successes, the Council’s view that nature recovery and
economic growth can both be achieved together.”