Biodiversity Net Gain
What’s required from applicants?
Applicants will be required to submit biodiversity net gain (BNG) information through their planning application. This includes:
- the pre-development biodiversity value and date of calculation,
- any loss of onsite habitat prior to the submission of the application,
- details of irreplaceable habitats.
This is not to be confused with a biodiversity plan, which contains more detail and should be submitted prior to the commencement of the development, this may be during or post-application submission.
Biodiversity plans are required as a general condition of planning permission.
A biodiversity plan is expected to include:
- How negative impacts have been minimised,
- Pre and post-development biodiversity value of onsite habitat,
- Biodiversity value of any offsite habitat,
- All statutory biodiversity credits purchased in relation to the development.
Government has approved the use of digital tools to help complete the BNG process, provided they do not harm the quality of ecological information provided.