By Hannah Millman, strategic planner of SF Planning 

One of the things that makes me proud to be a town planner is that planners work to keep things in balance. Namely the social needs of houses and infrastructure; the economic needs for employment land; and the environmental. For some time now, the environmental element has been at a disadvantage to the economic and social, often losing out when development is proposed.

However, from November that is set to change, and in some locations already has. In 2021 the Environment Act was given royal ascent. One of the requirements of the act was for all development to provide 10% biodiversity net gain. This means a site/development will need to improve the biodiversity of land so that the improvement score will be at least 10% more than it was to begin with. November sees the requirement begin, following a period of transition and the making of secondary legislation and guidance.

Nearly all new types of development will be required to demonstrate that 10% biodiversity net gain will be achieved. This will be a requirement prior to planning permission being granted. A handful of development types will be exempt from this requirement; permitted development under the Permitted Development Rights; urgent Crown development; development smaller than 25sqm; householder applications; and small-scale self-build and custom housebuilding.

How do you provide a 10% biodiversity net gain? This can be done in several ways. The first and best option is to provide for this requirement on the same site that the development proposals relate to. This can be achieved through enhancing existing habitats already on-site, and providing new ones, through planting schemes, for example. This doesn't just mean a patch of grass in the corner- different species and habitats should be considered relative to the area. Some schemes use inventive ways to meet this need, through examples such as green roofs and living walls.

However, some sites may not be able to provide either full or part of the needed biodiversity net gain. In this case it is possible to use a doner site to provide the improvements needed. Donor sites can be identified by the Local Planning Authority for this purpose, and often a payment for the improvement works is required through the planning permission, to allow for the net gain requirement to be met. This is frequently undertaken through the purchase of biodiversity credits, with an approximate cost of between £10,000 and £15,000, dependent upon various factors, including the type of habitat.

It is intended through these measures that biodiversity net gain will become a way to contribute to the recovery of nature while developing land. Ultimately ensuring that the habitat for wildlife is left in a better state than it was before development.

For more information on any aspect of the planning process, contact Hannah Millman at SF Planning Ltd on 01242 231575, info@sfplanning.co.uk or visit http://www.sfplanning.co.uk.