I will start this article with the definition of what is Biodiversity net gain? From gov.uk 'BNG is a way to contribute to the recovery of nature while developing land. It is making sure the habitat for wildlife is in a better state than it was before development'. There has been a huge decline in the UK biodiversity over the past few years and this most stop. So in November 2023 it will become mandatory for developments to improve their action towards increasing biodiversity to at least 10% over the next 30 years. This is in accordance with the Town and Country Planning Act 1990, unless exempt and it will apply to small sites from April 2024.
The solutions to improve the biodiversity can be simple such as incorporating footpaths through developments and use current woodlands as part of the developments. With the new regualtions it is key that BNG is thought about at the start of a project and that this is keep in mind throughout the project - and kept to. This will ensure that our housing developments will be greener, more sustainable and species rich spaces.
The assessment of 10% BNG is measured by Natural England Biodiversity Metric tool and this comes into effect in November 2023.
To comply to the new regulations a developer can try to avoid loss of habitat by incorporating the land into your development work or create further habitats either on-site or off-site.
Or you can look to  statutory biodiversity credits but this should be seen as a last resort. For example a farmer may have converted farming land into a new habitat area to diversify their income and this allows them to create credits which can be sold to a developer. This can be a win win as farmers in the UK have lost their Basic Payment Scheme funding since Brexit.
A developer would be naive to ignore this as planning applications will not go through without an accurate BNG plan. So with no consideration of the biodiversity then you will not get plannng permission.
