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Wild in the City - the Cambridge Nature Network

River Cam near Logan’s Meadow. © Nick Rance, Natural England

By Justin Tilley, Principal Manager, West Anglia team We often talk of ‘being in nature’ as if it’s a special place, away from our everyday world. In Cambridge, Natural England is supporting a major initiative that’s helping wildlife prosper in …

Nature Towns and Cities: Creating Greener Neighbourhoods and Brighter Futures 

David Drake, Director, People & Nature at Natural England Did you know 47% of people do not currently have access to green space within 15-minutes' walk of home? Nature Towns and Cities aims to transform this reality, enabling millions of …

Welcoming the Corry Review — Nature recovery and sustainable growth through regulatory reform 

Posted by: , Posted on: - Categories: Development, Growth, Nature, Nature Recovery
A pond is seen in a meadow

The Corry Review was set up by Defra Secretary of State Steve Reed, in October last year to examine whether the inherited regulatory landscape is fit for purpose and to develop recommendations to ensure that regulation across the Department is …

A New Era for England's Nature: Celebrating the Publication of the second Local Nature Recovery Strategy

By Emily Butterwick – Northamptonshire LNRS Senior Officer This month we celebrate the publication of North Northamptonshire Council’s Local Nature Recovery Strategy (LNRS). It marks a significant milestone towards our country’s efforts to tackle biodiversity loss, climate change and improving …

The North can be a powerhouse for Nature and growth

Marian Spain speaking at Convention of the North, with host Anita Rani

"Nature is vital to our economy our health and our security. The North has the natural assets that can help create the places people want to live, work and invest in and that will keep them happy and healthy, as …

Guest blog: Showcasing successful onsite Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) project management

A large pond seen through trees and wildflowers with new homes in the background: Ponds can play a key role in biodiversity net gain

In the run up to the first anniversary (12 February) of the introduction of BNG as a mandatory approach to development, making BNG a statutory requirement in all (non-exempt) Town and Country Planning Act applications we invited two open space …

Green Infrastructure: the catalyst for Urban Greening 

It’s two years since Natural England launched the Green Infrastructure (GI) Framework to support the creation of good quality Green Infrastructure. It’s well documented that we need to build a more sustainable future, and at the forefront of this movement …

Working together for Nature Recovery in Greater Manchester  

On-site at the Green Earth Allwood Farm Biodiversity Habitat Bank, from left, Northstone Development Director Jon England; Mayor Andy Burnham; Natural England Chief Executive Marian Spain; Natural England Chair Tony Juniper; and Green Earth Developments Co-chair Simon Towers

The launch of Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) has been a major achievement this year – this world-leading initiative means that for the first time, development must leave nature measurably improved. I was lucky enough to visit Greater Manchester to speak …

Inspectors tackling wildlife crime

A tawny owl perched on a tree branch

By Samantha Johnson-Roberts, Natural England Wildlife Inspector Background There aren't many jobs that combine tackling crime with protecting species like dormice and otters, but here at Natural England there are 46 of us and I'm lucky enough to be one …