LANDSCAPING & EXTERNAL WORKS 67
HOW BNG ALSO BRINGS NET GAINS FOR DEVELOPERS
Olivia Dear at Wates Developments explains why Biodiversity Net Gain is now a strategic consideration which can deliver lasting benefi ts for communities.
T
he relationship between development and the natural environment has become an increasingly important consideration for the housebuilding sector. There is a growing recognition by the sector that, like housing numbers, nature is struggling. We all need to play a role in helping to reverse the staggering decline in biodiversity and create healthier, more resilient landscapes for future generations.
This is the challenge Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) was designed to address. It introduced a new approach to planning that requires developers to leave biodiversity in a measurably better state than before development began. While initially viewed by some as an additional planning obligation, BNG is increasingly being recognised as a framework capable of supporting better placemaking, environmental resilience and long term value creation. For housebuilders, understanding why BNG matters, the benefi ts it can deliver and how to deliver it successfully without compromising project delivery is essential.
WHY IS BNG IMPORTANT?
The UK is one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world, with habitats and wildlife facing increasing pressure from urbanisation, climate change and changing land use patterns. Biodiversity underpins healthy ecosystems, providing benefi ts that range from fl ood mitigation and improved air quality to carbon storage and public wellbeing. Historically, developers were asked to minimise environmental harm. But now, it’s about leaving behind measurable and lasting improvements; not just reducing impact. The aim of the BNG legislation is not to prevent development. It is about providing developers with a mechanism for nature recovery and development to co-exist. For housebuilders, this represents a signifi cant evolution, both in planning policy and in how outcomes for nature are considered in a project’s conception, viability, delivery and long term management.
THE WIDER BENEFITS OF BNG EXTEND WELL BEYOND MEETING PLANNING REQUIREMENTS
Importantly, BNG encourages a more strategic approach to site planning. By considering ecological opportunities early in the design process, developers
can often identify solutions that not only deliver environmental benefi ts, but support local stakeholder sentiment and planning, as well as commercial benefi ts
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