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The Story
KADS Design Ltd is based in Bulkington, Warwickshire, and provides architectural design services for both domestic and commercial projects.
The challenge KADS (Design) Ltd faced
KADS (Design) Ltd was tasked by a client to design and develop a set of new garages in Bulkington, Warwickshire. The Local Planning Authority (LPA) made clear that Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) would be required. The client made clear that planning approval was needed as soon as possible. Because the garages would be built in an area which had a mix of sealed surface and habitats with plants, the site was not entitled to an exemption.
How KADS (Design) Ltd was able to resolve their problem
Under the BNG rules, small sites can use an expedited process which doesn’t require the use of external ecologists or consultants. In this case, because the total area of the site was under 10,000m2 and the total commercial floorspace of the new build was under 1,000 m2, a Small Site Metric (SSM) could be produced by KADS (Design) Ltd.
By using the Joe’s Blooms Biodiversity Net Gain Tool, the team at KADS (Design) Ltd were able to easily map out the site and the current habitats on the site (a mix of sealed surface and vacant / derelict land). The intended works were then added, and the team at KADS (Design) Ltd, working with Joe’s Blooms, were able to see what the impact of the original plans would be on the biodiversity score.
With this information, the team at KADS undertook a second site visit with the client that afternoon. This walk around led to an agreement that the land around the edges of the intended garages didn’t have to be paved over (as was originally intended), but instead turned into grassland with a few small trees. Following this discussion, the Joe’s Blooms Biodiversity Net Gain Tool was then used to change and iterate the intended work, adapting the designs to add both a set of trees and two areas of high quality grassland habitat.
The results!
Within a matter of hours, KADS (Design) was able to offer a new design for the site, one which clearly delivered an on-site gain of over 10% and fully complied with the principles of the mitigation hierarchy. By using the Small Site Metric and online digital tools, KADS (Design) was able to fully comply with the BNG requirements, deliver an improved design and submit all necessary documentation to the LPA in a matter of hours, avoiding any delays or onerous costs.
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