Biodiversity Net Gain Chichester: Understanding BNG

With the intention of protecting the natural environment, Chichester District Council require a biodiversity net gain to reach a minimum of 10% for all proposed 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 deliver biodiversity net gain (BNG) that is sustained over the course of at least 30 years. If BNG is not possible at the location of development, developers must offset biodiversity elsewhere; this can be achieved by purchasing units offsite.

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 strategy 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 Chichester’s 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 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 standards. Many West Sussex County Councils will provide a biodiversity supplementary planning document to direct developers on how best to achieve BNG.

Our ecological consultants will complete a habitat classification assessment using a Statutory Biodiversity Metric (previously the Defra Biodiversity Metric 4.0). The results of the assessment will then be converted into a habitat management and monitoring plan for the developer to achieve net gain.

Our experienced team of ecology experts hold Natural England licences and work with a number of clients across England and Wales, including those in Chichester.

For projects large and small, we can provide policy guidance, project recommendations and clarification on the principles of BNG to meet the needs of Chichester District Council.

To find out more about Collington Winter’s approach to biodiversity net gain, Chichester, or we encourage you to get in touch with a member of our team at info@collingtonwinter.co.uk, or by using the contact form below.