Hedgehog highways & bird-safe glass proposed for new builds

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September 16, 2025
3 min read

Hedgehog highways & bird-safe glass proposed for new builds

Amendments to the government’s planning bill could include hedgehog highways and bird-safe glass as requirements for new buildings. This, The Guardian says, could “cause a headache for ministers,” who have hoped to “avoid burdening developers with laws on nature measures” including “swift bricks.”

The new amendment from the Lords would include mandating provision for these nesting boxes. Campaigners say they are crucial for the survival of threatened species. Amendments have been tabled by a cross-bench group of peers that would require new buildings to have wild and animal-friendly design and architecture. These would include hedgehog highways and bird nesting boxes. The amendments would then be debated by Parliament. Peers have written to ministers, calling on them to adopt such measures.

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Nature groups have criticised the planning and infrastructure bill, currently going through the House of Lords. Over 5,000 nature sites may be at risk if it goes ahead, analysis from The Guardian has found. Experts warn that it could allow developers to ignore environmental protection rules, leading to what they called a “cash to trash nature” system. This is because it would allow developers to pay into a nature restoration fund, instead of ensuring they protect wildlife.

Peers hope the amendments will mitigate any damage to nature from new developments. As many as 30 million birds, they estimate, die annually in the UK by flying into windows. This can be cut by up to 90%, they say, if the use of bird-safe glass was required. Britain is an industry leader in the manufacture of this type of glass.

Hedgehog highways have been proposed as a low-cost measure to protect wildlife. These are small openings at ground level or in fences or walls, allowing hedgehogs and other tiny animals to move freely between gardens and green spaces in search of food or a mate.

An animal sentience committee from the government has previously been critical of the bill for ignoring animal welfare in construction and building design. The plans, it warns, could cause the deaths of birds, hares, rabbits, hedgehogs, and voles by machinery, starvation, as food sources are removed, or habitat loss.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves and Prime Minister Keir Starmer have previously said that protection of animals can impede the building of houses and economic growth.

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