Breaking news - Biodiversity Net Gain

We truly believe that this change to the planning legislation in favour of biodiversity net gain is the biggest shift in nature’s favour we have seen in recent times. It comes out of the Environment Act 2021 and will be a requirement for all planning applications submitted under the Town and Country Planning Act and will come into force in November 2023.

This will certainly affect developers from November and for smaller projects such as those who want to significantly extend their homes, knock down and replace with a new house, or convert outbuilding etc., biodiversity net gain requirements for smaller developments such as these have an extension until April 2024.

Not only must applicants demonstrate a minimum 10% net gain, they must also submit a fully costed maintenance and management plan for a minimum 30 year period, to ensure that the improvements are achieved. 

There is an alternative, which is to undertake the habitat creation off-site (on a plot nearby) or come to an agreement to pay a conservation body, such as a wildlife trust to undertake improvements to their estates or to purchase credits, the latter is a very expensive option and can make developing a project unviable as they range in price from approximately £9k-£28.5k per credit.

Read the Defra press release here https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-developments-to-deliver-for-people-and-nature