What to include with your planning application
You must submit certain information with your planning application for it to be registered and considered by the council. Refer to the matrix of validation requirements for more details.
If you consider the application to be exempt from Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG), then this must be justified in the planning application.
If your application is not exempt, then you must submit the following information with your application:
- the completed biodiversity metric tool showing the onsite habitat score as of the date of the application or for an earlier proposed date with justification
- if any habitat degradation has occurred, the completed metric for before the degradation occurred
- the score in biodiversity units
- the publication date of the version of the metric being used
- if any degradation has occurred, a statement that it has occurred, when it started and any evidence for the date it started and the score before the degradation
- a description of any irreplaceable habitat - defined in The Biodiversity Gain Requirements (Irreplaceable Habitat) Regulations 2024 Schedule 2 - within the red line boundary as of the metric calculation date
- a scale plan (showing north) of the onsite habitat used in the calculations and any irreplaceable habitat
In addition to the above, we strongly recommend that you submit a draft biodiversity gain plan providing information as to how the development has addressed the biodiversity mitigation hierarchy and how it is intending to meet the BNG objectives.
This will also help determine whether any section 106 planning obligations are required to secure either significant onsite habitat enhancements or offsite gains for the development.
After planning permission is secured
Submitting a biodiversity gain plan
Where applicable a BNG condition will be included within the decision notice. You must submit a biodiversity gain plan to discharge that condition. This must include:
- information about the steps taken or to be taken to minimise the adverse effect of the development on the biodiversity of the onsite habitat and any other habitat
- the pre-development biodiversity value of the onsite habitat
- the post-development biodiversity value of the onsite habitat
- any registered off-site biodiversity gain allocated to the development and the biodiversity
- any biodiversity credits purchased for the development
You can use the government's biodiversity gain plan template.
For phased developments, you must submit an overall biodiversity gain plan before works begin, as well as phased biodiversity gain plans alongside each subsequent phase.
Legal agreements and conservation covenants
For significant on-site habitat enhancements, a legal agreement will be required. On-site gains must last 30 years, non-significant enhancements do not need to form part of the agreement unless they contribute to locally important species or ecological networks.
To buy or sell off-site gains, a legal agreement is required. The legal agreement for off-site gains must last for at least 30 years from the date you finish the habitat enhancement.
Legal agreements can be made through a planning obligation (or possibly a condition) with the council or through a conservation covenant with a responsible body.
Monitoring BNG habitat enhancements
The Environment Act states that habitats should be secured for a minimum of 30 years and managed and monitored appropriately.
The government encourages use of a habitat management and monitoring plan (HMMP) to capture management and monitoring information for significant on-site enhancements and off-site gains.
Ideally a HMMP should be provided where there are on-site significant enhancements and off-site BNG provision. But also you may need a HMMP where habitats are to be retained on-site and which will require management to maintain their condition.
Government guidance recommends submitting a draft HMMP with your planning application. More detailed guidance on BNG can be found at GOV.UK.