At its heart, Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) requires people involved in submitting planning applications to secure Biodiversity Units (BUs) - either by creating or enhancing units onsite ("On-site units) or by purchasing BUs from other providers ("Off-site Units"). If they don't have enough BUs, they cannot commence development.
You should only purchase Off-site Units if you are unable to secure the necessary BNG uplift on your site.
In order to buy (or sell) off-site Units, those units need to be registered with the Biodiversity Gain Site Register. It is operated by Natural England on behalf of the Government. The Gain Site register allows:
Landowners participating in off-site BNG to apply to register their site
Developers to view unallocated off-site habitat enhancements
Local planning authorities to view allocated and unallocated habitat enhancements as part of their checks on a submitted gain plan
How do I create Off-Site units?
How do I create Off-Site units?
To create and sell off-site units, you will need to follow several steps:
Work out which plot of land you want to create a biodiversity uplift on and then run an analysis on how many BUs you can create via different enhancements and creation options (you can use
Joe's Blooms Exploreto do this). When you have found a solution you like, and you are prepared to maintain for 30 years, you need to draw this up into a detailed plan.Produce a Biodiversity Metric Sheet and Biodiversity Gain Plan showing the intended habitats you plan to enhance and/or create on the plot of land (you can use Joe's Blooms' tools to help with this).
Secure planning permission from your Local Planning Authority (LPA), stating your intent to create a Biodiversity Gain Site. You will need to - either via a section 106 agreement or a conservation covenant - agree to maintain the site for at least 30 years.
Once you have permission, you will need to register the site with the Biodiversity Gain Site Register.
How do I register with the Biodiversity Gain Site Register?
How do I register with the Biodiversity Gain Site Register?
The Register can be found here. Please note, you’ll need a Government Gateway account and a Defra account to sign into this service. If you do not have a Government Gateway account or a Defra account, you can set both up when you use this service for the first time.
To register an off-site units You’ll need:
the title deeds or lease agreement to prove ownership
written authorisation from the landowner or leaseholder if you’re applying on their behalf
a document or image showing the land boundary – this must not include any personal information, like a landowner’s name
a legal agreement that secures the land for at least 30 years – this must be a planning obligation (Section 106 agreement) or conservation covenant
completed statutory biodiversity metric tool calculations that include information about all the land secured by the legal agreement
a habitat management and monitoring plan (this may be within your legal agreement)