Biodiversity Net Gain Cambridgeshire: Understanding BNG

In order to protect the natural environment, Cambridgeshire County Council require a biodiversity net gain of at least 10% for all development projects.

In England, BNG is mandatory under the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 (as inserted by Schedule 14 of the Environment Act 2021).

Planning projects must also ensure biodiversity net gain (BNG) is sustained over the course of at least 30 years. If the required BNG levels are not achieved at the outset, a mitigation hierarchy should be applied to ensure the project eventually meets the required standard. Alternatively, developers must offset biodiversity units elsewhere; this can be achieved by purchasing biodiversity units.

Enhancing biodiversity net gain is particularly important for protected or high-value nature conservation areas, such as Sites of Special Scientific Interest. BNG has already been widely implemented as part of local nature recovery strategies and the National Planning Policy Framework.

The Planning Practice Guidance for Biodiversity Net Gain for England can be found on the GOV.UK website.

Biodiversity net gain is required for developments of all sizes. For larger projects, this applies to residential projects that host 10 or more dwellings or sites that span more than 0.5 hectares.

Furthermore, BNG covers minor developments such as residential developments with 1 to 9 dwellings or sites smaller than 0.5 hectares, as well as commercial developments where the floor space created is under 1000 square metres, or the site area is less than 1 hectare.

There are 10 vital good practice principles of biodiversity net gain that can help a project to achieve a minimum 10% improvement if they are implemented. The mandatory net gain principles include the following:

• Utilise the mitigation hierarchy to minimise the impact on biodiversity
• Eliminate any negative impacts of development on biodiversity
• Communicate each BNG outcome with complete transparency
• Cover all areas of sustainability, including societal and economic factors
• Involve any pre and post-development stakeholders in creating mandatory BNG solutions
• Focus on producing lasting natural benefits for biodiversity to leave a site and local wildlife in an improved state
• Understand the variable factors and potential risks in order to deliver BNG
• Attempt to exceed the base level requirement for biodiversity gains where possible
• Determine a suitable method in order to secure measurable on-site BNG gains
• Ensure the best possible results from biodiversity net gain

Those unsure of how statutory biodiversity net gain delivery may apply or affect a planning application should contact the local planning authority.  If it is implied that your development may become heavily impacted, we recommend that you contact an experienced ecologist as soon as possible.

This way, you can discuss whether your development plans meet the local project requirements as well as any steps you may need to take in order to meet BNG planning standards. Many local councils, such as those of Greater Cambridge and South Cambridgeshire, will provide a biodiversity supplementary planning document to guide developers on how best to achieve BNG.

At Collington Winter, our environmentally focused team has extensive experience in constructing biodiversity net gain plans for development sites in Cambridgeshire and the Greater Cambridge area. Our ecologist team will provide guidance throughout the planning process, supported by a visit to your site to perform any recommended ecological reports.

Our consultants will complete a habitat classification assessment using the Statutory Biodiversity Metric (previously the Defra Biodiversity Metric 4.0). The data will then be used to measure changes to the natural environment before and after the development. The results of the assessment will then be factored into a habitat management and monitoring plan that promotes biodiversity.

Our experienced team of ecologist consultants and landscape architects hold Natural England licences and work with numerous clients across England and Wales, including those in Cambridgeshire.

From minor projects to large-scale developments, we can provide policy guidance, project recommendations and clarification on the principles of BNG to meet the needs of Cambridgeshire County Council. We are at hand to support the ecological needs of your project pre-development and post-development

To find out more about Collington Winter’s approach to biodiversity net gain, Cambridgeshire, we encourage you to get in touch with a member of our team using the contact form below.