FOUNDATION FRAMEWORK
Environment , Food and Rural Affairs ) website or by consulting with relevant authorities for the most up-to-date guidance .
Where a development cannot achieve BNG either wholly or partly on-site , then the developer can achieve the unit shortfall by securing a bespoke site for net gain or from appropriate sites on the local net gain habitat market from other landowners .
In simple terms , developers have three choices for their Biodiversity Net Gain :
Option one is to provide ‘ BNG onsite ’. This is the preferred route , but in many cases almost impossible and commercially unviable . We are starting to see schemes from developers
Biodiversity Net Gain is an innovative , calculated instrument that puts a value on our country ’ s biodiversity and natural habitats . and ecologists who are attempting to deliver improved biodiversity on site but this tends to be only a portion of the overall requirement .
Option two is via an ‘ Offsite BNG Provider ’ like us , Environment Bank or Biofarm . This is often more viable and less expensive than the third and final choice for developers
Option three is ‘ Credits of Last Resort ’. These credits are delivered by Natural England , and as the name suggests , these are the least preferred option in the legislation and tend to be very expensive .
Depending on the option a developer chooses , they will then need to work with their ecologist and solution provider to fill in their mandatory DEFRA Metric . This metric can be best described as a fairly complicated Excel spreadsheet with inbuilt rules and macros that spit out requirements for BNG . When correctly completed , it demonstrates via a selection of rule-driven tabs and columns , that the project is compliant and achieves 10 % BNG .
For developers , it ’ s important that the parties you engage with understand and are confident using this tool . Both your ecologist and your unit
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