Biodiversity Net Gain Carmathenshire: Understanding BNG

In Wales, the Environment (Wales) Act 2016 and Planning Policy Wales (PPW) Edition 11 (2021) place strong obligations on developers and public bodies to protect and enhance biodiversity.

Instead of a strict BNG target, Welsh policy promotes a “biodiversity enhancement approach,” meaning developers must demonstrate that their projects contribute positively to biodiversity. Some local planning authorities in Wales may set their own biodiversity requirements.

Enhancing biodiversity is particularly important for protected or high-value nature conservation areas, such as Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Net Benefit for Biodiversity requires a biodiversity enhancement proportionate to the size and scale of the proposed development.

Welsh National Planning Policy for a net gain of biodiversity can be found on the Welsh Government website.

As Wales does not require a base level of 10% Net Benefit for Biodiversity, developments should implement a plan to reflect the size and stature of their development, including adequate net gain provisions to suit the needs of the specific development.

This means proposals may face having planning refused if BNG/NBB elements are not included.

Although Welsh Planning Policy does not specify how much benefit should be delivered, or for how long it should be maintained, local planning authorities will determine whether an appropriate and proportionate benefit is delivered to development sites.

Similar to the 10 vital good practice principles of biodiversity net gain that can help a project to achieve BNG in England, Natural Resources Wales developed the “DECCA Framework”. This provides projects in Wales with the following attributes to target and improve:

• Diversity – Maintaining and enhancing diversity at all levels and scales
• Extent – Incorporating measures to maintain and increase semi-natural habitat areas and linkages
• Condition – The condition affected by factors like climate change, invasive species, recreation, etc.
• Connectivity – Maintaining/creating links between and within habitats
• Aspects of resilience – The product of the above four attributes

Developers who may be unsure of how biodiversity net gain delivery could affect their planning application should contact a 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 development planning standards. Many local councils will provide a supplementary planning document to guide developers on how best to achieve NBB/BNG.

At Collington Winter, our environmentally focused team has extensive experience in constructing biodiversity net gain plans for development sites in Carmarthenshire and the wider Wales 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 Carmarthenshire.

From minor projects to large-scale developments, we can provide policy guidance, project recommendations and clarification on the principles of NBB/BNG to meet the needs of Carmarthenshire 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, Carmarthenshire, we encourage you to get in touch with a member of our team using the contact form below.