This article is more than 9 years old

This article is more than 9 years old

Local sites important to England's wildlife could be under threat from the government's controversial planning reforms, the Wildlife Trusts warned on Tuesday.

The trusts are concerned that under the proposed changes to the planning system, which slim down around 1,000 pages of policy to just 52, England's 40,000 local wildlife sites will not have the protection they currently enjoy.

Ministers say the reforms, which focus on a "presumption in favour of sustainable development", are necessary to boost growth while protecting the environment and communities.

But the Wildlife Trusts said local wildlife sites, which cover an area four and a half times the size of London, are not formally recognised in the draft national planning policy framework (NPPF).

The wildlife organisation said that under current planning policy, local sites that are important for an area's wildlife are described as having a "fundamental role" in supporting nature and improving communities, and policies should be established against which to judge proposals for development on such sites.

The trusts want greater recognition of and protection for local wildlife sites under the new rules.

Local plans, which must be drawn up by councils to outline sustainable development in their area, should identify large-scale "nature improvement areas" where restoring the environment would have a priority, they urged.

Such large areas are included in plans for protecting the natural environment outlined by the government earlier this year but have no mention in the draft reforms.

Stephanie Hilborne, chief executive of the Wildlife Trusts, said: "The proposed planning reforms leave local wildlife sites without sufficient safeguards. It is imperative that the importance of protecting these sites is recognised. There is a real need to retain and strengthen the protection afforded to local wildlife sites."

She added: "The restoration of the natural environment is important to our long-term economic recovery and quality of life. The draft NPPF's strong focus on short-term economic growth raises serious concerns for us that the protection and restoration of the natural environment could be hindered."

A spokesperson for the Department of Communities and Local Government said, "This is not true and has no factual basis. Strong environmental safeguards remain throughout the draft Framework to allow communities to protect the Green Belt, countryside, and other valued green spaces, including wildlife sites from unacceptable development."