The environmental insights that mattered most in 2025 

2025 was an important year for our industry. We’ve seen several changes made and milestones hit, which have implications for under-pressure developers and environmental planners alike. There have been some major policy shifts, industry debates and healthy cross-sector collaboration.  

We’ve stayed updated on legislation and policy changes that have happened this year. And we made sure we had a seat at the table wherever any important discussions and decisions were taking place that we could influence and learn from. Here’s a look at some of last year’s pivotal moments and what they mean for you.  

Whenever we can, we make sure we attend the events and conferences that are central to positive change and learning in our specialisms. By doing this, we can make our voices heard, share our experiences with others and, in turn, learn from others as well. Here’s a look at some of the key events this year.  

Jon (Managing Director), Kay (Quality, Data and B Corp Lead), and Honour ( Sustainability Coordinator) all headed to the Blue Earth Summit in London in October. The summit was all about innovation, optimism and action. In fact, it’s the UK’s leading environmental conference focused on optimistic, innovative solutions in business that benefit both people and the planet.  

We valued the opportunity to be part of discussions with other purpose-driven leaders about creating a positive impact through business. During the event we had some fascinating conversations, learning about startup businesses that are already leading the way with sustainability. We found out how other businesses are combining impact with growth and explored the relationship between community wellbeing and sustainability.  

Key takeaways included:  

• Climate action needs investment, not just policy pledges. It’s time for positive action, as Blue Earth founder and CEO says: “No time for doom and gloom. We don’t need permission. We’re here to build what comes next. It’s game on.” 

• Regeneration is key. The focus needs to be on repairing ecosystems and restoring biodiversity for the good of communities.  

• There’s strength in numbers. In fact there were over 7,000 attendees at the summit, highlighting the power of connection to accelerate change. 

• Purpose over compliance leads the way. Businesses that are embedding environmental purpose into their strategy rather than waiting for regulatory change are reshaping today’s market for the better.  

October 2025 was a busy month for us, because we also attended the Landscape Institute’s national conference in Birmingham. 

We had such an interesting time with the Landscape Institute that we worked with them again at our London office, discussing some ideas on where our industry is heading next. We covered: 

• The future of integrated green and blue infrastructure and what that will look like for landscape planners and developers.  

• Potential skill gaps in landscape planning and how they might be bridged. 

• AI and its benefits in our industry. 

• Co-design and community-led place-making. 

• Wellbeing in practice and team support. 

In September 2025, our Arboricultural  team attended the Arboricultural Association Conference. This body forms the foundation of the professional industry standards our Arbs team works to, so there was no better place to learn more about our specialism.   

We were lucky to hear from some of the industry’s top experts at the conference, who shared their vision for the future of Arboriculture in the UK. Throughout the day, several key ideas were reinforced by some of the industry’s top minds:

• Aging trees are complex. It is important to understand the layered cultural, historical and biological significance held by ancient specimens. 

• We still have a lot to learn about tree growth. Being able to accurately estimate canopy development can assist with planning new planting schemes and assessing canopy‑cover change across projects. 

• Tree-risk benefit assessments inform decision-making. With the entire Arboriculture team VALID‑trained, we can deliver defensible and balanced tree‑risk benefit assessments. 

This conference was important, enabling our Arb team to learn more, expand their thinking and stay ahead of important updates to the industry that can affect a development.   

Emerging environmental standards and new guidance

We’ve seen the emergence of some changes to legislation and policy that affect everyone involved in the projects we work on. Here’s what’s new to us this year.

Our Arboricultural and Ecology teams provided expert support for a planning application and appeal for a proposed housing development site in Hurst, Wokingham. The application was refused, which related to the removal of two mature trees on the site. This project was a prime example of how our team collaborate internally, as well as with developers and the Local Authority to find a workable solution under pressure.  

The challenge was to understand and navigate the nuances between the NPPF and the BNG definition of a veteran tree. Given that there’s no precedent for this issue, it required close working partnerships to understand the details of the problem and what needed to happen for a successful outcome.  

With a fully collaborative approach, we developed a strong and defensible planning submission, balancing BNG requirements with the practical realities of the development.  

2025 was a positive year for our industry, defined by collaboration, innovation and pragmatism. Changes for the good of nature and lots of learning opportunities and conversations have pushed our industry forward and we can feel optimistic about the future. We’ve been able to look at our own business and reassess how we work and how we can implement change for the good of nature in the way we measure our company. It feels like a natural progression for us and we hope to develop it even further this year.  

Despite the legislative changes to navigate, and the pressure and constraints that developers are experiencing, we’ve seen more developers turn to nature-positive design principles than ever before.  That’s a massive leap forward. We’re past the point of ‘learning the rules’ and BNG is fast becoming BAU (business as usual). It will shape the baseline for new developments as it has become an embedded, non-negotiable aspect of it.  

We’re the connection between big-picture environmental thinking and practical project delivery. We support you through the legislation and requirements of landscape planning, ecology and arboriculture, translating environmental ambition into real development success.  

If you need support to achieve your project’s environmental goals this year, get in touch.