Guide to Biodiversity Credits for Developers
Image: surveyor holding a notepad in field with wildlife. What are statutory biodiversity credits? The government will provide statutory biodiversity credits that builders can buy to meet their requirements, which guarantees that BNG (biodiversity net gain) won’t slow down development. A newly released list from DEFRA provides an estimate for the cost of statutory biodiversity […]
What is in a Biodiversity Net Gain Assessment?
Image: photograph of biodiversity surveyor. Biodiversity Net Gain Survey Introduction Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) is a legal necessity in today’s planning world and it became a part of planning law in February 2024. From that moment on, developers were directed to engage ecological consultancies to perform a BNG assessment on their schemes. Thankfully, we maintained […]
Top 5 Takeaways from the Government’s BNG consultation
Image: surveyor sitting and making notes on notepad. 1. DEFRA’s commitment to the natural environment DEFRA says it continues to prioritize on-site delivery and, in so doing, misses an opportunity to secure what they call impactful landscape-scale outcomes for nature. There are still important particulars and directions that need to be worked out, but that […]
5 reasons why Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) is important to UK
Biodiversity Net Gain is a phrase we are likely to hear with increasing frequency due to its introduction as a requirement in the 2021 Environment Act. Now, all new development and infrastructure projects are mandated to deliver BNG. Biodiversity strategy is being pioneered to counter biodiversity loss: a problem that threatens all of us with […]
BNG Off-site: Land Banking vs. Habitat Banking
Image: female surveyor writing on notepad in field The biodiversity net gain (BNG) policy, which was created under the Environment Act of 2021, has been implemented. Biodiversity net gain (BNG) is supposed to help in the recovery of England’s ecosystems. It demands that developers secure at least a 10% net increase in biodiversity for every […]
Secondary BNG legislation: Summary
Image: surveyor in yellow jacket and hardhat looking at diggers in field. Parliament has put in place laws necessary for biodiversity net gain (BNG) to operate, and the promised draft secondary guidance has been published. The Environment Act 2021 requires BNG policy to make sure that nature is left in an even more beautiful state […]
What do you Need a Biodiversity Net Gain Report?
Image: man with hat opening notebook in forest. Biodiversity Net Gain Assessment Reporting Biodiversity net gain (BNG) became a legal requirement in the planning process for the first time in February 2024. It’s a long-term protective and enhancement measure for the natural environment that derives from the Environment Act 2021. Achieving BNG now requires would-be […]
Biodiversity Net Gain: Off-site or On-site Delivery?
Image: drone flying over grasslands. Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) was made official in 2024, so if you are a developer or a planner, you need to think about how to apply this to your projects. Biodiversity Surveyors is building a vast network of nature recovery sites across every local planning authority in England. These habitat […]
COP27: What Biodiversity and Net Zero mean for us
It is well accepted that the planet’s natural resources have been, and still are, ‘mined’ and consequently depleted for the sake of the financial and economic returns they yield. For the past four centuries, nature has essentially bankrolled our growth and success. Yet, there has been a relentless intensification of agriculture, and a construction boom […]
Achieving Biodiversity Net Gain without the Risk
Biodiversity Net Gain, or “BNG”, aims to balance two important things: the basic need for agriculture and the equally essential need to protect natural ecosystems. It’s an effort to restore biodiversity, which brings many benefits and few drawbacks. Farmers and landowners can help bring back healthy ecosystems and get more reliable and diverse crops if […]
Cost of Biodiversity Units & Statutory Credits
Introduction After a lengthy wait, biodiversity net gain (BNG) made compulsory by the Environment Act is now in shape. Faced with new regulatory problems, developers are researching new avenues to achieve potent biodiversity net gain (BNG) delivery off-site. We rely on real-life experiences by some of those already grappling with biodiversity requirements, whether developers or […]
How to Create a Biodiversity Plan for Developers Building Projects in England
Image: surveyor in forest taking a photograph. As of 12th February 2024, virtually all new-build developments must follow the Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) plan. So, this means that if a building project requires planning permission, it has to include a biodiversity plan in its application, and the plan must show how biodiversity will be improved […]
8 Things You Need to Know about Biodiversity Net Gain as a Planner
Image: surveyor with iPad plotting points. These points lay out a road map for BNG to fulfil the promise that was made in the 2021 Environment Act to actually deliver something meaningful and beneficial for biodiversity. Our primary response is that any legislation must remember the original intent of BNG: to enhance and restore biodiversity […]
What is Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI)?
SFI is the first of three new environmental land management schemes being introduced under the government’s Agricultural Transition Plan. The other two schemes are Local Nature Recovery and Landscape Recovery. Image: man standing in river with colleagues looking at him. SFI helps farmers manage land in a way that boosts food production and is more […]
8 key questions asked about BNG strategy at RESI Conferences
Image: Photograph of five panellists at the RESI 2022 conference Biodiversity Net Gain is a legal requirement for development in England. If it is shown that a site has not achieved it, planning permission risks denial. Developers must therefore address the potential impact of their projects on biodiversity and either demonstrate very clearly that what […]
8 biodiversity net gain points on planning your project
Image: surveyor checking stones on the ground. Planners have been discussing the confluence of housing and environmental issues in respect of Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG). Here are the main points: Key questions? What legal requirements stem from the 2021 Environment Act? What is needed for successful implementation? Following the mitigation hierarchy, how do we balance […]
How Architects Can Solve Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG)
Image: surveyor in green hat with clipboard in field. BNG has been made a requirement to be legally followed in all new construction projects. It should not be viewed as merely another planning hurdle, but as a significant and real opportunity to push for sustainable designs to come into being. The essential principle of biodiversity […]
Top 12 questions by planners about Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG)
Image: female surveyor with iPad and rucksack standing in forest. 1. How would you create a model that produces zero risk from judicial review? If local planning authorities (LPAs) set up their own sites that are not separate from the authorities’ planning functions, then there is a significant risk of legal challenge to a planning […]
BNG for Small Development Projects
Starting on 2nd April 2024, policies regarding Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) also apply to smaller development sites. This includes residential locations of less than 1 hectare with fewer than 10 homes and commercial sites of under a hectare or 1,000 square meters. While some types of sites will remain exempt, most development projects in England […]
Biodiversity Net Gain Explained
Image: surveyor holding paper and looking over river. The Government’s 25-year Environment Plan has, as one of its objectives, “to leave the environment in a better state than we found it.” As expressed in the Environment Act, starting in 2024, developers will need to ensure at least a 10% net gain in biodiversity on their […]
Benefitting Nature & Developers with Biodiversity Surveyors
Image: drone hovering over river in field. The Environment Act’s biodiversity net gain (BNG) legislation has a 2-year phasing-in period, which ends in November 2023. That means developers must ensure they leave an area of land more ecologically rich and diverse than it was before they started development. Otherwise, you don’t get planning permission. The […]
How to Conduct a Biodiversity Impact Assessment: a Guide for Developers
About Biodiversity Net Gain BNG is a concept that could dramatically change the environmental planning scene. It now obligates all developers to ensure that their projects do not diminish the environment but actually enhance it. The “net gain” is determined using the Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) biodiversity metric. What is the […]
