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Biodiversity net gain is a way of creating and improving biodiversity by requiring development to have a positive impact (‘net gain’) on biodiversity.
In England, biodiversity net gain is required under a statutory framework introduced by Schedule 7A of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 (inserted by the Environment Act 2021). This statutory framework is referred to as ‘biodiversity net gain’ in Planning Practice Guidance to distinguish it from other or more general biodiversity gains.
Under the statutory framework for biodiversity net gain, subject to some exceptions, every grant of planning permission is deemed to have been granted subject to the condition that the biodiversity gain objective is met (“the biodiversity gain condition”). This objective is for development to deliver at least a 10% increase in biodiversity value relative to the pre-development biodiversity value of the onsite habitat. This increase can be achieved through onsite biodiversity gains, registered offsite biodiversity gains or statutory biodiversity credits.
Under biodiversity net gain (BNG) legislation, developers must deliver 10% BNG, as measured by the statutory biodiversity metric.
There are 3 ways a developer can achieve 10% BNG.
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Enhance and restore biodiversity on-site (within the red line boundary of a development site).
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If developers cannot achieve all of their BNG on-site, they can deliver through a mixture of on-site and off-site. Developers can either make off-site biodiversity gains on their own land outside the development site, or buy off-site biodiversity units on the market.
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If developers cannot achieve on-site or off-site BNG, they must buy statutory biodiversity credits from the government. This should be a last resort. The government will use the revenue to invest in habitat creation in England.
You can combine all 3 steps, but must follow the steps in order. This order of steps is called the biodiversity gain hierarchy.
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The biodiversity metric tool is used to calculate biodiversity value for the purposes of biodiversity net gain.
You can use the biodiversity metric tool to calculate the biodiversity value of existing habitats, habitat enhancement, and habitat creation.
The biodiversity metric tool can calculate different types of ‘biodiversity units’. There are three types of biodiversity units, which are calculated in three separate ‘modules’
of the metric. These are area habitat units, hedgerow units, and watercourse units.
You should speak with an ecologist to help you complete your biodiversity metric.
The price of each biodiversity unit will vary depending on unit type. This is because some units will be more costly than others to implement and maintain.
Additionally, the spatial risk multiplier (SRM) reflects the relationship between the location of on-site biodiversity loss and the location of off-site habitat compensation. It affects the number of biodiversity units provided to a project by penalising proposals where off-site habitat is located at distance from the impact site.
Please contact us for development-specific unit pricing.
Off-site units must be maintained for at least 30 years following the completion of habitat enhancement works, as defined in your legal agreement.
If habitat creation, enhancement and management work has not started by the time you record the allocation of off-site units, this should start within 12 months of allocation.
If you buy units from an off-site provider as a developer, the landowner is responsible to maintaining the habitats.