Chris Whall, board director of the Logika Group, discusses the upcoming changes and challenges to the interactions between the built environment and natural environment
As we navigate the start of 2025, it’s important to recognise that the environmental landscape is shifting in the face of challenges posed by transformative policies and ambitious targets. Indeed, throughout 2024, a series of landmark regulations laid the foundations for sustainable progress throughout both the UK and Europe, driving developers, policymakers and consultancies alike to rethink traditional practice.
Looking back to look forward
One such move took place in February 2024, when the UK’s biodiversity net gain (BNG) regulations came into force, making it mandatory for the majority of developments to demonstrate at least a 10% increase in biodiversity in order to achieve planning. This placed nature conservation at the heart of construction, forcing all developers to integrate ecological enhancements into their projects from the outset.
Consideration and integration of surface water flooding was also raised, with consenting authorities increasingly requiring quantification of potential risks and impacts of schemes.
Adding to these outcomes, the UK’s Green Skills Action Plan tackled growing demand for environmental professionals, addressing a chronic skills gap that has long hindered progress in sustainable development.
Across Europe, meanwhile, the adoption of the EU’s Nature Restoration Regulation in August set legally binding targets for restoring 20% of degraded ecosystems by 2030. This ambitious goal signalled a resolute commitment to reversing biodiversity loss, particularly those with the most potential to capture and store carbon and to prevent and reduce the impact of natural disasters.
These updates providing a backdrop of opportunities as we approach 2025’s upcoming challenges, highlighting areas for increased focus and improvement as we move forward in the 12 months to come.
What’s on the horizon?
A shifting focus to air quality
Air quality will remain a central issue in 2025, as governments continue to prioritise the reduction of urban pollution. Building on the development of clean-air zones, new regulatory frameworks are expected to further tighten air-quality standards, driving increased adoption of air-quality monitoring technologies, from time sensors to advanced modelling systems. This will allow local authorities and developers to collaborate on compliance.
Public-private partnerships are likewise likely to play a significant role, with cities such as London and Manchester leading initiatives to reduce particulate matter and nitrogen dioxide levels as other places follow. These partnerships will not only ensure regulatory compliance but also encourage developers to design projects that promote cleaner, greener urban spaces all round.
Managing flood risk and water scarcity
Flooding and water scarcity remain two of the most pressing sustainable development challenges, with increased pressure to address surface water flood risk throughout 2025.
Growing concerns over water scarcity, exacerbated by climate change, must simultaneously be addressed, calling for a more strategic approach to water management, particularly in drought-prone regions. Solutions such as rainwater harvesting, water-efficient infrastructure and robust resource planning will become indispensable as a result for all developments – both urban and rural.
Biodiversity baseline: compliance and challenges
The implementation of biodiversity net gain (BNG) has equally sparked a new era of accountability for developers – though challenges persist. Ensuring compliance will drive demand for biodiversity monitoring technologies and habitat creation expertise, as developers navigate the complexities of delivering measurable ecological improvements.
Successful BNG strategies trialled in 2024 provide useful blueprints for the coming year, with projects integrating green roofs, wildlife corridors and natural flood management systems, for example, demonstrating how development and nature restoration goals can align. Inconsistencies in local interpretation of BNG requirements nonetheless persist, with a lack of baseline ecological data continuing to post obstacles that will need to be addressed in 2025.
Environmental challenges for developers in 2025
Indeed, the road to sustainable development is far from a simple one. Those looking to build must contend with everything from rising environmental compliance costs – made worse by disruptions to supply chains – to difficulties sourcing the sustainable materials required for their energy-efficient solutions. The initiatives may be there, but there will naturally be financial challenges along the way.
Moreover, inconsistent local interpretations of policies – particularly those governing surface water flood risk – continue to impact planning approvals. This fragmentation underscores the need for more streamlined and unified guidance.
Increased demand for accurate environmental impact assessments (EIAs) highlights another critical challenge, where persistent gaps in ecological mapping and data make it difficult for developers to deliver precise, evidence-based mitigation strategies that should hopefully be at least partially better supported in 2025.
2025: a holistic focus
As the government accelerates efforts to deliver 1.5 million new homes over the next five years, a holistic approach to development throughout these changes will be essential. The push for housing, whilst vital, brings significant environmental challenges – particularly as planning reforms now define ‘grey belt’ land and acknowledge the need for green belt development to meet ambitious targets. Alongside these housing initiatives, net-zero goals and targets within the Environmental Improvement Plan (EIP) will demand an unprecedented level of coordination between developers, policymakers and environmental consultants.
Indeed, collaboration will be key, with partnerships that bring parties together ensuring that projects meet regulatory requirements whilst addressing community and environmental needs. Solutions that mitigate noise pollution in urban developments, for instance, are growing in importance, particularly as the government’s plans for additional housing are likely to see an increase in population density within specific areas – calling for all aspects of quality of life, from air and water quality to local green spaces and amenities – to be prioritised.
The Seventh Carbon Budget, expected in 2025, will play a key part in this, providing a roadmap for decarbonisation to the end of the decade and beyond. This budget, alongside other emerging policies, will offer clarity and direction, pushing industries to adopt cleaner, low-carbon technologies, with developers called upon to adopt more innovative strategies and solutions in response. From AI-driven design tools to renewable energy integration, it will all help to meet stricter environmental standards effectively and efficiently in 2025.
Finally, at European level, the European Parliament elections and the appointment of a new Commission will set fresh priorities for environmental and economic strategies. Key among these will be the proposed Clean Industrial Deal, aimed at decarbonising industry and reducing energy prices. This initiative, combined with ongoing efforts to achieve the EU’s Green Deal targets, will shape the regulatory landscape for businesses operating across Europe for years to come.
Building a better future
The challenges likely to emerge in 2025 may be significant, but they also present opportunities for meaningful progress, innovation and collaboration. With government housing targets driving development, net-zero commitments setting ambitious goals and biodiversity regulations reshaping planning processes, the year ahead demands a holistic, forward-thinking approach.
By fostering partnerships between developers, policymakers and consultancies – and by leveraging technologies that enhance sustainability and streamline compliance – we can navigate these challenges to build a better, greener future. Unified policy interpretations, robust data collection and modelling, and a commitment to both community and ecological wellbeing remain key as the environmental agenda evolves. Indeed, it is clear that solutions lie not in silos but in collective action – a mindset that will define how we meet the environmental challenges of 2025 and beyond.
The post Building a better future: how holistic thinking can tackle the main environmental challenges of 2025 appeared first on Planning, Building & Construction Today.
