BNG Guide: Guide to undertaking BNG | Joe's Blooms Help Center

Please note that this table is designed to give an indicative guide and a suggestion for best practice.

Stage	What the Government says	Recommended Steps (and how Joe's Blooms tools can help)
Site Selection (RIBA Stage 0 and Stage 1)	The Government says you should "consider Biodiversity Net Gain implications for each potential site"	Work out what the potential site's biodiversity baseline is (you can do this with Explore) Work out whether it is possible to secure on-site enhancements (you can do this with Explore) Consider whether there are habitats on the site that are graded with a distinctiveness level of 4 or above and, if so, whether it is possible for your proposal to not disrupt these habitats (this is seeking to avoid or minimise habitat loss) Determine whether or not there has been any degradation of the site's biodiversity value.
Design (RIBA Stage 1-2)	The Government says that, at this stage, you are "encouraged to consider biodiversity net gain early in the development process and factor it into... design"	Work out if your site has to comply with BNG (you can do this with the Exemption Checker). See if there are LPA-specific requirements (you can use the Net Gain Tool for this). Apply the mitigation hierarchy and see if it is possible to adjust the design so that the design does not affect high distinctiveness habitats (you can use the Net Gain Tool for this). You may wish to engage with the LPA and make use of any pre-application advice services that are offered by them to see if there are specific requirements
Submitting outline Planning Application (RIBA Stage 2)	The Government says you should "include indicative percentage biodiversity net gain and any preliminary biodiversity metric outputs in pre-application discussions with the relevant planning authoirty	Produce a first version of the biodiversity metric, setting out the baseline and the high-level predicted impact as well as suggested steps for securing a 10% uplift (you can use the Net Gain Tool for this). It is best practice to provide a complete baseline and post-development assessment, as set out in the PPF: "Some applicants may want to submit draft Biodiversity Gain Plans, including completed metrics of the post-development value of the onsite habitat, alongside the planning application. These draft plans may be particularly helpful if there are firm proposals for onsite habitats, including landscaping plans, which can generate an accurate post-development value for the onsite habitat. However, they are likely to be incomplete and indicative in some cases." You should engage with the LPA if you believe off-site BUs are needed and (where possible) You may wish to (if possible) reserve off-site BUs.
Submitting Planning Application (RIBA Stage 3)	You will need to submit the following with your planning application The completed biodiversity metric calculation tool showing the calculation of the biodiversity value of the onsite habitat the biodiversity value(s) the publication date of the biodiversity metric calculation tool Information on whether any habitat has been degraded before development a description of any irreplaceable habitat, a plan showing the location of habitats on site. For more information, see the minimum information requirements. If this information has not been provided, the local planning authority will likely refuse to validate the application. Note: The grant of permission in principle is not within the scope of biodiversity net gain (as it is not a grant of planning permission), but the subsequent technical details consent (as a grant of planning permission) would be subject to the biodiversity gain condition. In addition, local planning authority are being strongly encouraged to not include the biodiversity gain condition in the list of conditions imposed in the written notice when granting planning permission - it will instead be provided in a different way.	Produce the Biodiversity Metric setting out, at a minimum, the baseline scores of the site and a habitat plan of the site (you can use the Net Gain Tool for this). It is strongly recommended that you provide details of how you see envisage the post-development score. Engage with the LPA to see if there are any specific changes they want made to the You may wish to (if possible) reserve off-site BUs.
Pre-commencement Discharging conditions (RIBA Stage 4-5)	You will need to produce the following: The completed biodiversity metric calculation tool showing the calculation of the biodiversity value of the onsite habitat before and after development A biodiversity gain plan a plan showing the location of habitats on site before development and post-development [Potentially] other documents including a Habitat Management and Monitoring Plan (HMMP) The plan must be submitted in writing, no earlier than the day after planning permission has been granted (There are special arrangements for phased development and separate templates for phased development).	Produce all necessary documents and metric sheets (you can use the Net Gain Tool for this). Once you are confident that the plan is fully approved, purchase any necessary BUs (please note that most services will not allow you to resell these or cancel your purchase). If it is not possible to secure the necessary off-site BUs, consider purchasing statutory credits instead.
Construction	Land development can only commence once the LPA has approved the Biodiversity Gain Plan and final set of metrics.	Ensure that all conditions agreed with the LPA are met. Move
Management		Discharge all conditions set out in the Section 106 agreement / Conservation Covenant for the site.