Havering’s Wildlife Under Pressure: Where Are the Figures Showing What We Have Lost?

4th November 20264th November 2026 Francesca Lilleystone 0 Comments Habitat, Havering, Housing, Wildlife min read

As Havering faces continued pressure to build more homes, questions are being raised about the impact on the borough’s wildlife and natural habitats. While developers are required to follow biodiversity rules, there is currently no single published figure readily available showing how much wildlife habitat has been lost to housing development across Havering over the past five or ten years.

Havering is home to a wide variety of wildlife, including foxes, hedgehogs, badgers, bats, birds, reptiles and amphibians. Its fields, woodland, hedgerows, ponds and green spaces provide important places for animals to feed, shelter, breed and move between habitats.

But as more land is considered for development, residents are entitled to ask what happens to the wildlife that already lives there.

The issue is not simply about the number of homes being built. It is also about the environmental impact when open land is developed, established vegetation is removed and natural habitats are replaced by roads, buildings and hard landscaping.

So how much has Havering lost, and what is being done to make sure wildlife can continue to thrive?

Available planning information shows that ecological assessments and biodiversity requirements form part of the planning process. However, the information publicly available does not provide a complete borough-wide picture of habitat loss, the number of planning applications identifying protected species, or the overall success of replacement habitats.

Havering Council’s Local Plan recognises the importance of protecting wildlife habitats and corridors. It identifies species including bats, great crested newts, badgers, reptiles and water voles as part of the borough’s ecological environment.

Wildlife corridors are particularly important because they allow animals to move between different habitats. When these routes are interrupted by development, roads and other barriers, wildlife can become isolated and may find it harder to access food, shelter and breeding areas.

What protection do developers have to provide?

Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) is now a key part of the planning system.

Under national requirements, most qualifying developments must deliver at least a 10 per cent improvement in biodiversity compared with the site’s pre-development condition. The improvement must generally be secured for at least 30 years.

This can be achieved by creating or improving habitats within the development itself, providing improvements elsewhere or, as a last resort, purchasing statutory biodiversity credits.

There are exemptions and exceptions to the rules, and not every development is automatically subject to the same requirements.

The introduction of Biodiversity Net Gain is intended to ensure that development leaves nature in a better state. But it also raises questions about where replacement habitats are being created and whether they provide genuine benefits for the wildlife affected.

For residents, an important question is how much of the biodiversity improvement generated by development in Havering is being delivered within the borough, and how much is taking place elsewhere.

Are wildlife surveys being carried out?

Ecological assessments are an important part of the planning process, helping to identify protected and priority species and assess the potential impact of development.

These assessments can consider bats, great crested newts, badgers, reptiles, nesting birds and other wildlife. They can also identify habitats that may need to be protected, enhanced or replaced.

However, without a borough-wide breakdown, residents cannot easily see how many planning applications have identified protected or priority species over the past five or ten years, or which parts of Havering have been most affected.

What happens after planning permission is granted?

There are also requirements for monitoring certain biodiversity improvements.

Habitat management and monitoring plans can set out how new habitats will be created, maintained and monitored over a period of at least 30 years where the relevant requirements apply.

Government guidance also places responsibilities on local planning authorities to monitor biodiversity obligations and take appropriate action where requirements are not met.

However, the existence of monitoring requirements does not, by itself, tell us how many inspections have taken place, whether all required reports have been submitted, or whether habitats are developing as intended.

That information is important if residents are to have confidence that environmental promises made during the planning process are being delivered in practice.

Four questions Havering residents deserve answers to

The Havering Daily believes there are four important questions the Council should be able to help clarify:

How many hectares of wildlife habitat have been lost to housing development in Havering over the past five and ten years?
How many planning applications during those periods identified protected or priority species, and which species were recorded?
Since mandatory Biodiversity Net Gain was introduced, how many developments have delivered their biodiversity improvements on-site, how many off-site, and how many have used statutory credits? How much of the off-site provision is within Havering?
How many biodiversity monitoring reports have been received, how many site inspections have taken place, and has the Council taken enforcement action where developers or landowners have failed to meet their obligations?

These are not questions about stopping all development. They are about making sure that the borough’s natural environment is properly considered as Havering grows.

Residents should not have to choose between having somewhere to live and protecting the wildlife around them. Both housing and nature need to be part of the borough’s future.

The introduction of biodiversity rules is an important step, but their effectiveness depends on how they are applied, monitored and enforced.

Because when a field becomes a housing development, the question should not only be how many homes can be built. It should also be what happens to the wildlife that once called that land home.

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