Maldon’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.

Maldon’s pre-application advice service can be found here.

Maldon is part of the Greater Essex Local Nature Recovery Strategy. Information can be found here.

Specific BNG requirements are set out in Policy 1.2.3 of the BNG Assessment (adopted May 2023).

CIRIA, CIEEM and IEMA have developed a set of principles on good practice to achieve Biodiversity Net Gain1 , accompanied by a practical guide2 . These principles provide a framework that helps improve the UK’s biodiversity by contributing towards strategic priorities to conserve and enhance nature while progressing with sustainable development. They also provide a way for industry to show that projects follow good practice. Ten key principles are identified.

See also the Local Plan and the BNG Page.

Specific Strategic Significance requirements are set out in Policy 4.2.1 of the BNG Assessment (adopted January 2024).

4.2.1 Strategic significance in the metric is assigned to give extra value to habitats that are located in optimal locations, or are of a type that meet local objectives for biodiversity. No strategic significance has been applied to the habitats pre or post-development of the site.