A legal campaign team is planning a judicial review of the UK government's new planning bill, which believes will lead to weakening of environmental protection measures that are for decades to fight for and create.

Wild Justice called on Housing Minister Angela Rayner to correct the parliamentary statement, she told MPS the bill that it applies primarily to England and Wales and will not lower the level of protection. Her words echoed in a letter to the guardian by nature minister Mary Creagh, who said it did not abolish habitat or species protection or grant permission to cause harm.

The group sent Rayner a former action agreement letter on Monday asking her to “correct the parliamentary records” to make it clear that her statement about environmental protection in the bill was incorrect. If not conducted, they will apply for judicial review.

Wild Justice has made a legal opinion, saying the bill would weaken existing environmental protections, a key factor in removing the requirements to ensure that beyond reasonable scientific doubts that developments do not negatively affect protected locations. Instead, developers will be allowed to pay for natural recovery plans to mitigate any environmental damage elsewhere. There is no guarantee that any environmental improvement will be in the same area or even in the same county. The campaigners believe it is impossible to replace ancient woodlands or chalk streams elsewhere.

The Office of Environmental Protection, the government's post-Brexit regulator, also warned that the draft legislation would eliminate safeguards for nature and put protected sites at risk.

Chris Packham, co-director of the wild justice, said: “Good people have been struggling for a long time and it is difficult to incorporate proper wildlife conservation into the law. But this has not stopped the relentless efforts of Britain’s biodiversity.

"So, how will the government destroy these laws? ...I really hope they tie it up and succumb to the love, enthusiasm and determination of an animal lover country."

Ministers believe that the new bill will speed up housing development and large infrastructure projects by allowing developers to avoid long-term delays in fulfilling environmental obligations at their project sites, by making payments to funds (NRFs) that will be used to create environmental improvements elsewhere.

But last week, the government's own impact assessment showed that officials had little evidence that natural obligations were a barrier to development.

The bill was debated on Monday in the Parliamentary Committee and proposed some amendments.

"It is important that the Secretary of State corrects her claims of the environmental impact of the bill, as it continues to be portrayed as a "win-win" to nature, and people are inaccurate, people will mislead MPS and vote for potentially disastrous consequences for catastrophic consequences for conservation and wellness species and wellness." """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""

Ricardo Gama, a lawyer for Leigh Day who represents Wild Justice, said the government told members of Congress whether a “growth at all costs” agenda is worth wasting hard environmental protection. “They can only do that if they understand clearly what the bill needs,” he said.

The Ministry of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has been contacted for comment.