A SCHEME requiring developers to benefit nature has delivered just a fraction of the expected new habitat in its first year, according to campaigners.

Research by the Wildlife and Countryside Link (WCL) found that only 609 hectares (1,500 acres) of off-site land has been secured for new habitat developments and another 93 hectares (230 acres) have been reported on the site of projects.

The figures fall short of the government’s central estimates of nearly 5,500 hectares (13,590 acres) a year.