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Biodiversity Net Gain
Biodiversity Net Gain
BNG gives the development industry an opportunity to work with the planning system to make sure development improves and protects our precious biodiversity, rather than further eroding it. It also has the potential to boost green jobs, innovation in habitat mapping and make green space more accessible to the public.
BNG Goes live in Feb 2024 "BNG requires developers to provide at least 110% of the biodiversity value found on the site prior to their development "
As a landowner or farmer, you can sell BNG units to developers, now (from Nov 2023) they have to show that they are not just building over the countryside but improving biodiversity - by buying it in. You cannot sell lumps of biodiversity if you are already restocking trees and undergoing marine conservation.
What to do
What to do
Find out what habitats your local area needs. To get an idea of what habitat you could create or enhance, you could ask your local planning authority (LPA) for:
biodiversity action plans
green infrastructure strategies
catchment management plans
biodiversity opportunity areas
local nature partnership documentation
2. Consider how you can combine biodiversity net gain with other environmental payments.
You can combine biodiversity units and nutrient credits. (nutrition neutrality refers to phosphate pollution IN CERTAIN AREAS)
You may be able to sell them alongside other environmental payments.
3. You will need to calculate how many biodiversity units you will have on your site. This is where Masters students can come in if you learn to do this calculation using the biodiversity metric. You will need to recalculate your biodiversity units if habitat was created or enhanced on your land before 30 January 2020. You can create biodiversity units before you sell them. This is habitat banking.
4. Secure the land by a legal agreement. You’ll need to commit to managing the habitat for at least 30 years. You’ll need a planning obligation (section 106) with an LPA or a conservation covenant with a responsible body. You’ll also need to agree on a habitat management and monitoring plan (HMMP) with your LPA or responsible body.
5. Price your units. Each BNG unit (2023) is worth around £10k says CC. To come up with a price for your units, you should think about including management of the land covering at least 30 years. More at UK Guidance on selling BNG units
Buying BNG Units
Buying BNG Units
Statutory BNG Credit Prices
Buying statutory biodiversity credits is a last resort option for developers if are unable to use on-site or off-site units to deliver BNG.
To calculate credits, DEFRA are working on an addition to the biodiversity metric. This will be available in the statutory biodiversity metric tool, when BNG becomes mandatory.
If you buy statutory biodiversity credits, a ‘spatial risk multiplier’ will apply, which doubles the amount of credits you need. You must buy 2 credits for every 1 biodiversity unit you need to compensate for. You can find more information about the spatial risk multiplier in the Biodiversity Metric 4.0 user guide, section 7.4 (page 29).
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