BIODIVERSITY NET GAIN
Balancing the needs of nature with the needs of development has never been more important. Rather than destroy habitats for development, our goal is to deliver biodiversity improvements through habitat creation or enhancement.
Biodiversity plays a central role in all our design and landscaping work. That means we are well placed to help clients meet the requirements of the Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) rules which the government has put in place.
From April 1st 2024, developers building between one and nine properties must abide by the BNG rules, alongside the wider development community, which was subject to these requirements from earlier in 2024. The requirement covers development in England only.
WHY IS BNG IMPORTANT?
Since the industrial revolution, we have lost 50% of our natural biodiversity. According to the RSPB, 40 million birds have disappeared from the UK’s skies since 1970.
We rely on good biodiversity to sustain life. Without it, we put everything at risk. The government’s BNG initiative is designed to promote and expand biodiversity across all development projects, so that there is a net gain, rather than a serious loss.
What does this mean for private garden landscaping?
Private property and garden schemes which are covered by permitted development rights will not need to meet BNG requirements, although biodiversity should still be considered. However, you may find that planning authorities want to see evidence of biodiversity consideration and preferably positive action as part of their assessment. We are seeing evidence of councils introducing a BNG requirement of between 10% and 20% on new development projects.
Sustainability and biodiversity is a core part of our approach.
This includes:
Avoiding loss or damage, particularly to irreplaceable habitats and those of higher value such as woodland ponds and high-quality grassland
- Minimising habitat damage and habitat loss on site
- Restoring damaged or lost habitats
- Offsetting damaged or lost habitats that cannot be restored, ideally close to the development
Essentially, our approach is to Avoid, Minimise and Restore
Our team includes sustainability and biodiversity experts, so we are well placed not only to design your garden with BNG goals in mind, but also to support your planning application with a professional approach to BNG requirements.
