Hedgehog highways became part of the debate over England’s planning reforms in September 2025, as peers sought stronger provision for wildlife-friendly development. The proposals highlighted a practical question: how can new neighbourhoods provide homes for people while allowing animals to move through the landscape?
A hedgehog highway is a small opening at ground level in a boundary fence or wall. Hedgehog Street’s guidance recommends a gap measuring 13 centimetres by 13 centimetres. Connecting adjoining gardens gives hedgehogs access to a wider area instead of leaving each green space isolated behind an unbroken boundary.
The campaign’s developer guidance treats these connections as part of site design. It also offers resources for housebuilders and new residents, recognising that wildlife provision needs attention before, during and after construction. A feature installed when homes are built has limited value if its purpose is not understood by the people who later maintain it.
The wider welfare issue had already been raised by the Animal Sentience Committee in a letter published on 24 June 2025. The committee acknowledged the need for housing and infrastructure, but questioned whether the planning proposals sufficiently considered individual animals affected by development.
Its concern was broader than the eventual amount of replacement habitat. Construction could directly injure animals, remove their food or shelter, or displace them. Creating better habitat elsewhere in future would not necessarily address those immediate effects.
The committee discussed measures such as considering breeding seasons, wildlife corridors, nesting features and designs that reduce collisions. It recommended that developers receive guidance on reducing welfare risks.
The September discussion about mandatory features remained a legislative proposal at the time of this archive story. It should not be read as confirmation that every new building was already required to include a hedgehog highway. The enduring design point is simpler: small connections between gardens can form part of a more continuous neighbourhood habitat.