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Project update: Professor Malcolm Tait (1972-2026)

It is with great sadness that we must announce the sudden and unexpected death of Professor Malcolm Tait on Wednesday 3 June. Malcolm (pictured above right undertaking Planning for Nature fieldwork with colleague Rob Davies) was extremely passionate about the Planning for Nature project, which he led from its inception. The project’s aims and important ongoing work reflect his strident belief in the potential of planning to make places where both people and nature can flourish, informed by his deep commitment to social and ecological justice.

An obituary detailing Malcolm’s wide-ranging achievements has been published by the University of Sheffield, where Malcolm spent almost his entire academic career. The Planning for Nature team hopes to write its own tribute, but for now we are mourning the loss of a truly wonderful colleague and friend. Donations in Malcolm’s memory can be made via this Much Loved page - the proceeds of which will be given to Butterfly Conservation, one of his favourite charities.

Habitat and biodiversity loss is an urgent contemporary crisis. The UK is now one of the world’s most nature-depleted countries. While the causes are complex, urbanisation is a recognised driver.

Urban development is negotiated and authorised through the UK’s land-use planning systems, which make spatial decisions that have significant economic, social, and environmental impacts.

This project will ask: are new planning policies to protect biodiversity improving outcomes for biodiversity on the ground? And are there areas where the system could be improved to ensure better ecological outcomes?

We will compare and contrast England, which has seen the recent introduction of Biodiversity Net Gain, with Scotland, where policy protections for biodiversity do not yet involve a metric.