For a non-householder application made on or after 6 August 2026, first consider the development-site exemption where the whole development site is no larger than 0.2 hectares and the development does not impact priority habitat within that site. If that route is unavailable, assess de minimis, including any impact on hedgerows, lines of trees or watercourses; a zero area score does not by itself prove that less than 5 metres of linear habitat is affected.
Applying for a De Minimis exemption
If your baseline is zero, you are eligible for a De Minimis exemption under the mandatory Biodiversity Net Gain rules.
You can complete the user journey by pressing "continue" and fill in the remaining information. This should take less than 5 minutes.
When submitting your planning application, you should state that you are eligible for the De Minimis exemption and then state that the metric shows that the baseline is zero. This means that there less than 25m² of non-zero rated habitat and, thus, you are eligible for a de minimis exemption
You should upload the metric sheet and the habitat plan as the evidence for this. You do not need to provide the Biodiversity Gain Plan.
A zero area-habitat baseline does not automatically determine the correct exemption. Provide the Planning Portal reasoning and evidence appropriate to the exemption claimed.