Your BNG journey as a Developer
A series of steps must followed by the developer to ensure that BNG rules are followed. Once you have understood the principles of BNG, start your journey here with the help of biounit trader.
Step 1: Exemption calculator
To avoid unnecessary costs and project delays, use our handy calculator to determine if your development qualifies for exemption from BNG rules by answering a few simple questions.
Step 2: Determine your approach
Developers in England must furnish 10% BNG for all habitats within the redline boundary of their development, unless exempt. Delivering BNG can be achieved either on-site or off-site, or as a last resort by buying statutory biodiversity credits.
Off-site gains and substantial on-site gains necessitate the maintenance of created or enhanced habitats for a minimum of 30 years. These responsibilities will be outlined in a legally binding agreement between the buyer and seller and will form the lease agreement.
If you already need to create or enhance habitat as part of your development, you may be able to count this towards your 10% net gain. This may result in a reduced number of off-site units being sourced. Depending on the schemes you are already obligated under, they can count towards BNG either in-full or in-part. It is important to include this information in your metric calculation and biodiversity gain plan.
When you know the number and type of off-site units required, they can be purchased. Biounit trader is uniquely positioned to help you find the right off-site units with minimal effort. We allow you to search for suitable off-site units based on unique filters including region, LPA, unit type, character area and broad and specific habitat. If you cant find what your looking for straight away, don’t worry, you can create a watch list and be informed as soon as a suitable off-site location is listed.
With the exception of intertidal, watercourse, or linear habitats, off-site gains located in a neighbouring local planning authority will hold a lower value in terms of biodiversity units compared to off-site gains within the same LPA as the development. Off-site gains situated beyond the neighbouring LPA will be assigned an even lower value.
Once the purchase is underway, ensure to record the allocation of off-site biodiversity gains on the publicly accessible Biodiversity Gain Sites Register, in accordance with the land managers authorisation.
Step 3: Assess biodiversity impact
Assessing the biodiversity impact of your development is key to successfully achieving BNG. The steps involved are complex and require the help of a qualified ecologist. The exception here is where you are using the small sites metric (SSM).
The biodiversity metric is a tool used to calculate the diversity of a site for the purposes of BNG and measures habitats including grasslands, hedgerows, lakes, woodland and water courses such as rivers and streams.
The statutory biodiversity metric quantifies the biodiversity value of habitats by determining the number of biodiversity units contained within it.
The calculation looks specifically at the number of units a habitat contains before development takes place and the number of units that are needed to replace the units of habitat lost and to achieve 10% BNG. This is achieved by the creation or enhancement of a habitat.
Depending on the type of habitat, the biodiversity matric considers several factors including size, condition, strategic significance and type. For enhanced habitats, it will also consider difficulty of creation or enhancement, the time it takes a habitat to reach its target condition and distance from the habitat loss. This last consideration influences the developers ability to find suitable off-site units close to the development.
Except for small developments using the SSM, it is important to remember that the local planning authority will inspect submitted calculations and reserve the right to reject them if they doubt their completion by a qualified individual. Biounit trader is ready to connect developers and land managers with qualified ecologists who are experts in their field and understand the BNG metrics tools.
Step 4: Start the processes associated with your chosen BNG
If off-site biodiversity units are needed, biounit trader is uniquely positioned to assist developers in their search and purchase of off-site units from land managers in accordance with the results of a biodiversity metric. We have streamlined the process of searching for available biodiversity units based on specific filters including region, LPA, unit type, character area and broad and specific habitat. Once available units have been found, the process of securing them can be undertaken.
To buy off-site biodiversity units, typically the land manager must undertake a legal agreement. The land manager is obligated to maintain the off-site biodiversity units for a minimum of 30 years. Biounit trader will perform certain checks to ensure that the land manager advertising biodiversity units is in fact the registered owner of the land or if they lease the land, the length remaining on the lease is at least the same or greater than the 30 year period. As a developer, your obligation is to pay the land manager for the number of biodiversity units required as compensation for maintenance of the biodiversity units over the 30 year period.
Developers can contact the seller directly through the biounit trader portal using the ‘My biounit’ section. Here, the developer will see all active and completed deals and see messages made to and from sellers. Once a sale has been agreed, a developer should seek independent legal advice on the sale including the creation of a contract of sale. Payment terms may include a deposit paid to the land manager to secure the number of units required, with payment in full made when units are allocated to your development.
Please note, that before the LPA can approve your biodiversity gain plan, it's essential to document the allocation of any off-site biodiversity gains to your development. The land manager or the developer can record the allocation of the biodiversity units to a development on the biodiversity gain sites register.
Once you’ve achieved your BNG requirement through the purchase of off-site biodiversity units and documented their allocation, you're set to finalise your biodiversity gain plan for submission to the LPA. In addition to your regular planning application for your development, the LPA will also review your biodiversity gain plan to ensure that any off-site gains are duly registered and allocated. Be sure to include the unique biodiversity gain site number, provided by the land manager upon registration, in your plan. The LPA is given an 8 week timeframe to either approve or reject your biodiversity gain plan.