22 THE CLIMATE CHALLENGE
Winning strategies for biodiversity net gain
With the legal requirement to bring biodiversity net gain into developments imminent, David King of award-winning open space management company Meadfleet explores the options and challenges for housebuilders.
T David King, managing director of Meadfleet
Samantha Hursey, Meadfleet operations director and ecologist
hough the official introduction of the requirement to deliver biodiversity net gain on developments has been pushed back to anuary, it is already embedded in policy and local plans, and housebuilders are looking for the right solutions to successfully meet the new requirements. ith many unanswered questions circulating, and key details yet to be provided, developers are reviewing the challenges and the solutions available. n it becomes mandatory under he nvironment ct that all future planning applications of nine units and over must produce at least a uplift in biodiversity with the aim of creating a strategic nature recovery plan that leaves the natural environment in a better condition. owever, as there will always be a loss of biodiversity from construction, housebuilders will have three compliance options. t is likely that a combination of these solutions will be required to achieve the necessary gains • providing onsite net gain within the development
• offsite solutions • the purchase of statutory credits from atural ngland.
Engaging communities and the next generation in biodiversity is crucial to the success of BNG
BNG COMPLEXITIES
evelopers cannot pick whichever option suits them for each new scheme. he legislation stipulates a hierarchy of options, with onsite solutions the
primary option, then offsite, and finally the purchase of statutory credits as a last resort. t will need to be demonstrated that a solution is unachievable before moving to the next option. ith onsite net gain the primary solution, most future developments will incorporate more extensive and complex habitats within their green infrastructure, requiring suitable long-term management. his has its own challenges depending on the scale of open space available, and the impact this has on the developable land. he marketplace for the purchase of offsite units generated by third party landowners is unclear, with no formal central database and the atural ngland iodiversity et ain egister being used purely for registering a development’s allocated offsite units. his has created a minefield for developers regarding availability, location, suitability, and cost when having to progress with this option. t is unlikely there will be local offsite units available for all requirements from the outset. uying and selling units across local planning authority boundaries will be inevitable which will increase costs as penalties are incurred when units are outside the . he availability of high distinctiveness’ habitat units and watercourse units is also likely to be a challenge. lternatively, there is an option for housebuilders to buy offsite land to generate the required credits and appoint a suitable management organisation to deliver the biodiversity improvements over the -year period.
he statutory biodiversity credit scheme aims to ensure that the pace of development in ngland is not impacted by the new legislation, offering a costly last resort solution. ith prices starting at , plus per credit, is this a viable solution even in the short term he additional requirements are certainly a challenge for developers and will impact the viability and speed of
FROM 2024 ALL FUTURE PLANNING APPLICATIONS OF NINE UNITS AND OVER MUST PRODUCE AT LEAST A 10% UPLIFT IN BIODIVERSITY
WWW.HBDONLINE.CO.UK
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