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Biodiversity Net Gain Becomes Legal Requirement.
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All major housing developments are now required to deliver at least a 10% benefit for nature with England becoming the first country in the world to make Biodiversity Net Gain a legal requirement.
Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) will apply to applications for major developments only and will be implemented for small sites (between 1 and 9 dwellings) from 2 April 2024. Roll-out of BNG for Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects is expected in late 2025.
How Biodiversity Net Gain Works
- Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) will apply to new planning applications, rather than existing applications.
- BNG is measured in biodiversity units calculated through the statutory metric tool. This calculates how many units a habitat contains before development, to then calculate how many biodiversity units are needed to provide at least 10% BNG.
- The statutory biodiversity metric considers the size, quality, location, and type of habitat.
- BNG can be achieved through on-site units, off-site units, or through statutory biodiversity credits. These credits will be available as a last resort from the government, to prevent delays in the planning system.
- It is also important that BNG provides lasting benefits for the environment. That is why we have set out how the improved significant on-site and off-site habitats will be managed for the long term. Significant on-site and all off-site gains will need a legal agreement with a responsible body or local authority to monitor the habitat improvements over the 30-year period.
- Natural England has also created a Habitat Management and Monitoring Plan template to support management.
Read More Here: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-housing-developments-to-deliver-nature-boost-in-landmark-move?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=govuk-notifications-topic&utm_source=1e0d45ae-dc4e-47fe-bb95-5b6fc604e085&utm_content=daily
