General Advice
Local validation requirements here
Cannock Chase’s BNG level is set at 10%.
The NPPF states: "applicants are encouraged to consider biodiversity net gain early in the development process and factor it into site selection and design. Where appropriate, they should discuss the biodiversity net gain requirements for their development upfront with the relevant local planning authority utilising any pre-application advice services offered by them. This could help establish whether development proposals would be subject to biodiversity net gain and, if they are, enable feedback on the proposed strategy for achieving the biodiversity gain objective and consideration of the Biodiversity Gain Hierarchy to inform the design of the proposals"
Please note, If you work for the LPA and wish to add additional information, please inform the Joe's Blooms team here.
Pre-Application Advice Service
Cannock Chase’s pre-application advice service can be foundhere.
Local Nature Recovery Strategy
Cannock Chase is part of the Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent Local Nature Recovery Strategy. Information can be foundhere.
Specific Requirements
Specific BNG requirements are set out in Policies 1.5 and 2.3 of theBNG Guidance (Adopted January 2024).
1.5 Biodiversity net gain (BNG) is an approach to development, and/or land management, that aims to contribute to the recovery of nature and to leave the natural environment in a measurably better state than it was beforehand.
2.3 BNG will be measured using the statutory biodiversity metric and the extent and management of habitats will need to be secured for at least 30 years. This sits alongside a strengthened legal duty for public bodies to conserve and enhance biodiversity, new biodiversity reporting requirements for local authorities, and mandatory spatial strategies for nature known as Local Nature Recovery Strategies (LNRS).
See also the Local Plan.
Strategic Significance
Specific Strategic Significance requirements are set out in Policy 3.27 of theBNG Guidance (Adopted January 2024).
3.27 Scores are required for each individual habitat rather than on a site-wide basis and are required for both baseline (existing) and post-intervention habitats:
High strategic significance - where the location has been identified within a local plan, strategy, or policy as being ecologically important for the specific habitat type or where that habitat has been identified as being ecologically important.
Medium strategic significance - where there is no relevant plan, strategy or policy in place, professional judgement may be used to justify the use of the medium strategic significance category. This judgement should consider the importance of that habitat providing a linkage between other strategic locations.
Low strategic significance - if the habitat is not included in local plans, strategy or policy, and there is no evidence to suggest that the habitat is of medium strategic significance.