On 8 July, speakers from across the housing sector discussed the latest changes in Biodiversity Net Gain and the new rules requiring a 10% uplift in sites’ biodiversity scores with new planning applications.
As of 2 May 2024, requirements have existed for new planning applications to increase a site’s biodiversity score by 10%. This has considerable impacts for everyone across the housing supply chain, some of which are yet to be determined.
Dr Nick White, Principal Advisor – Net Gain at Natural England, provided context around the legislative requirements of net gain. Prior to this legislation, even developments implemented legally would have a net habitat loss, something which the new regulations seek to fix.
The new rules apply to all sites in England, with some exemptions including custom/self-builds, permitted developments, and householder applications. Net gain can be delivered on-site, off-site or via statutory biodiversity credits, and a new national register for net gain sites has been implemented.
A small sites metric is usable and simplified habitat management & monitoring plan template are available for smaller developments.
The new BNG planning practice guidance details how significant gains must be secured for 30 years and introduces a biodiversity gain hierarchy, ensure that on-site BNG is explored before going off-site.
On-site and off-site BNG are delivered through ‘units’, habitat creation and enhancement either on the site or on other local sites such as land holdings or habitat banks. Statutory credits can be applied for to deliver through landscape-scale strategic habitat creation. Legally, a development cannot proceed if it cannot evidence BNG.
As part of the new rules, a new Biodiversity Gain Site Register has been introduced to evidence the recording of off-site gains, provide transparency in BNG and ensures that the landowner is not, for instance, double-counting gains.
Additional information can be found at:
- Statutory biodiversity metric – Statutory biodiversity metric tools and guides – GOV.UK(www.gov.uk) – includes small sites metric
- Defra guidance on BNG – Biodiversity net gain – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
- DLUHC BNG PPG – Biodiversity net gain planning practice guidance – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
- NE Blogs about BNG – Biodiversity Net Gain – Natural England (blog.gov.uk)
- NE BNG high-level brochure – Biodiversity Net Gain: An introduction to the benefits
- Planning Advisory Service website has good links on BNG – Biodiversity Net Gain for local authorities | Local Government Association
- CIEEM/CIRIA/IEMA good practice – Biodiversity Net Gain: Good Practice Principles for Development
Mark Behrendt, Local Plans Manager at The Home Builders Federation explained the issues which developers are seeing in delivering BNG. Developers will need to demonstrate that they have gone through the biodiversity gain hierarchy, avoiding negative impacts before going to mitigate necessary impacts. The HBF is working through the Future Homes Hub to provide DEFRA, Natural England and other government bodies about how to best deliver BNG, alongside upskilling its members in how best to meet these requirements.
The HBF has a number of asks for the government around BNG delivery, including ensuring that the 10% uplift is functioning before going any further, to ensure that local plans have a baseline BNG as part of site allocation, and to ensure that statutory credits can deliver BNG benefits so that schemes can have confidence in delivery.
Alexis Butterfield, Partner at Pollard Thomas Edwards ran through PTE’s work at Eddington, on the outskirts of Cambridge, delivered for the University of Cambridge with Hill Group. The development has 3,000 high-density homes, with high walkability and sustainability levels. This did, however, present challenges of how to deliver nature to people’s lives.
The site has operational zero carbon, with rainwater and greywater recycling, underground bin stores and a focus on active travel and cycling.
PTE took a strategic approach to urban greening, maximising the coverage of plant areas. 100% of the flats and 75% of the houses have biodiverse roofs, and biodiverse suds and rills are used instead of front gardens.
At the planning stage, PTE developed plans for green streets sections to show how these combined plans would create stepped environments with planting. Green biodiverse roofs were implemented with PV units to deliver energy.
Suds features were crisscrossed with bridges, allowing planting to be continuous across the site. And rain gardens helped to deliver richer habitats at people’s doors.
This site won the inaugural Building with Nature Award at the Housing Design Awards in 2021.
Shelagh Grant, Chief Executive of The Housing Forum, chaired a panel discussion with speakers, answering audience questions on issues like how local authorities can be upskilled to handle BNG, and what impacts there have so far been on planning applications, and criteria for setting aside brownfield sites.
Thank you to our speakers for presenting and to our audience for attending and for asking some interesting questions!
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