An Evolving Regulatory Landscape
With Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) now a mandatory requirement across most planning applications in England, it marks a big shift in how ecological considerations are addressed in planning development.
BNG calls for all stakeholders; planners, developers, landowners, and ecologists to engage in a more structured, measurable approach to habitat delivery and enhancement.
Getting BNG Right
The introduction of Biodiversity Net Gain is more than a regulatory hurdle – it is a way to embed sustainable land use practices across the planning and development lifecycle. However, successful delivery demands a deeper understanding of both technical metrics and ecological variation.
Drawing on our recent project experience in the Yorkshire Dales National Park, we’ve seen firsthand how early missteps, particularly around screening and mitigation, can lead to unexpected environmental consequences.
Case example:
Planting a belt of native trees to screen a telecommunications mast inadvertently displaced grassland habitat, key to invertebrates, amphibians, and small mammals. Under the BNG framework, such losses must be quantified and offset – often in like-for-like habitat units.
A Structured Approach to Biodiversity Delivery
To futureproof your planning application under BNG, consider these best practices:
1. Commission BNG Assessment Early
Undertake a baseline habitat survey prior to any design or planning decisions. This ensures the DEFRA metric calculation accounts for all existing biodiversity and informs a practical mitigation strategy.
2. Design Around Existing Ecological Value
Where possible, work with your ecological and planning consultants to avoid losses entirely. Retaining key habitat features often proves more efficient and cost-effective than offsetting them later.
3. Prioritise Like-for-Like Uplift
A minimum 10% uplift in biodiversity units is typically required, but this must reflect the quality and type of existing habitats. An example – swapping grassland for woodland rarely meets compliance and may impair site functionality.
4. Plan for Long-Term Stewardship
BNG measures are often required to be maintained for a period of 30 years, and this must be secured through legal agreements and management plans. Typical actions may include:
● Periodic hedge laying or gapping up
● Grassland mowing or grazing regimes
● Aquatic habitat maintenance
5. Allocate Sufficient Space
BNG mitigation often competes with built development for space. Where feasible, we advise selecting slightly larger parcels of land and avoiding drawing the red-line boundary tightly around the developable area.
Strategic BNG Will Streamline Planning
Advanced consideration of BNG not only supports planning compliance but can also de-risk applications by pre-empting objections from LPAs or statutory consultees. BNG is now a validation requirement for most new planning applications so this means we need to think proactively, rather than reactively.
