Why animal welfare belongs in planning decisions

When we think about planning permission, most of us imagine dry technical details: traffic reports, noise levels, and environmental assessments. But planning is not just about bricks and mortar, it’s about values. It determines what kind of communities we build, and crucially, for animal advocates, how animals are treated within them.

That’s why a recent High Court case on a proposed salmon farm in Cleethorpes matters far beyond legal circles. The case, Animal Equality UK v North East Lincolnshire Council & ASL New Clee Limited [2025] EWHC 1331 (Admin), confirmed that animal welfare can be a material planning consideration. In other words, councils deciding whether to approve farms, zoos, pet shops or breeding facilities are not bound to ignore the suffering within development proposals, they are entitled to factor it in.

This is a quiet but important shift. For too long, welfare has been treated as something for regulators or inspectors to deal with later. But by then, it’s often too late, not to mention the poor enforcement regimes that govern these areas. The real decision, whether to allow a facility that will be responsible for animal suffering, should be made at the planning stage.

Public attitudes and the law itself are moving in the same direction. The UK’s Animal Welfare (Sentience) Act 2022 recognises animals as sentient beings, capable of feeling pain and pleasure. If that’s the case, shouldn’t planning reflect it? Just as climate change and air quality have become central to planning, animal welfare deserves the same recognition.

This isn’t an abstract debate, an intensive farm, a zoo and a puppy breeding facility have been challenged on welfare grounds, with councils increasingly forced to reconsider approvals. Each case chips away at the old assumption that welfare is irrelevant to planning.

At heart, this is about the kind of society we want to build. Do we treat animals as invisible bystanders in our planning system, or do we accept their wellbeing as a relevant factor?

The High Court’s ruling is a reminder: planning is never just technical. And when we decide what to build, we are also deciding what we are willing to embed in our communities. Animal welfare belongs in that equation.