New research: 100 successful case studies of how Joe's Blooms tools help small site developments.

A report released on 5 February 2025 by Joe's Blooms provides a comprehensive assessment of the first year of mandatory Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) in practice. The report sets out what is working and needs to improve, providing 100 case studies of how people have used the Joe's Blooms tool to complete their BNG obligations.

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Table of Contents

Introduction

Key Statistics

Key Conclusions

Key Recommendations

Introduction

This study, produced by Joe’s Blooms, looks at the implementation of Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) in the first nine months of the policy becoming a mandatory requirement for small sites in England. It is drafted to assist key stakeholders, such as the HM Government, in considering the future of BNG. Drawing on an assessment of over 12,000 uses of Joe’s Blooms’ digital tools and resources for BNG compliance, and 100 detailed case studies, it evaluates BNG’s effectiveness with a particular focus on the Small Sites Metric (SSM). It proposes ways to enhance its positive impact while examining common criticisms of the policy in light of the data.
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Specifically, it looks at the evidence surrounding the implementation of BNG on small sites. This is a field in which Joe’s Blooms is ideally placed to offer comment, thanks to its unique position within the emerging BNG sector. Through a range of innovative digital tools and expert guidance, Joe’s Blooms helps developers — particularly on small sites — to meet the requirements of BNG swiftly and cost-effectively, ensuring that development makes a positive contribution to nature recovery and halting the loss of biodiversity. This includes both paid-for and pro bono tools, as well as a strategic partnership with the Planning Portal, which processes the majority of planning applications in England.

The study shows that BNG and the SSM have fostered a shift toward proactive environmental stewardship. Many applicants who use digital tools are able to go “above and beyond”, not just meeting the 10% legal requirements but often going much further, spurred by the SSM and the opportunities highlighted by digital tools.
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There can also now be no doubt that small sites are a vital - if not the vital - component of the BNG policy. Removing small sites from the policy’s scope - either via an expansion to the number of exemptions or by replacing it with a simplistic tariff system - would seriously undermine not just the BNG policy but the Government’s international commitments and legal obligations as set out in the Environment Act 2021, and subsequent regulations. Excluding the majority of planning applications from the BNG regime can only have a devastating effect on the policy’s ability to reverse nature’s decline.

How will BNG impact our future?

New analysis reveals that the Government’s Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) laws will secure over 15,000 hectares, or 23,500 football pitches, worth of biodiversity in England each year.

See how we calculated this

The report therefore strongly encourages that the SSM is retained, that there is no expansion to any of the existing exemptions (which would result in huge opportunities for on-site gains to be missed) and that there is no consideration of moving the small site system (or any part of the BNG regime) to a tariff system. Instead, it recommends specific, targeted changes which will reduce the handful of proven issues that have emerged, but will ensure that small sites remain part of the BNG regime and that the policy remains bold, ambitious and viable.
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Above all, the case studies clearly demonstrate that digital tools are helping to make a success of the SSM and maximising the potential of BNG for nature recovery. In most areas, simplified guidance and greater signposting to guidance and digital tools will resolve the most acute issues that people have reported. This report argues that digital tools hold the key to BNG and unlocking the nature recovery 2 potential of small sites. Such tools are making it possible to not just comply with the new requirements, but to do so at pace and with very limited costs.
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Rather than retreating from its ambitions, this report concludes that the evidence suggests that the Government should strengthen the BNG policy further and become more ambitious. Rather than looking to limit its applicability, the Government should instead look for opportunities to encourage BNG’s further use to drive even more significant biodiversity gains and safeguard England’s vulnerable habitats.

Oliver Lewis

Founder of Joe’s Blooms

Oliver Lewis is the founder of Joe’s Blooms, providing end-to-end digital solutions to help you create best-in-class Biodiversity Gain Plans. Expert in this field, he shares his knowledge on the Environment Bill.

Table of Contents

Introduction

Key Statistics

Key Conclusions

Key Recommendations

Comply with BNG today

The Biodiversity Net Gain Tool offers small sites end-to end compliance with the new BNG law.

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Key statistics between April 2024 and December 2024

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12,000

Over 12,000 people used one or more of Joe’s Blooms' tools to determine whether they needed to comply with BNG and/or to help produce their biodiversity statement and/or to produce biodiversity metric sheets and habitat plans.

500

Over 500 planning applications used the Joe’s Blooms “Biodiversity Net Gain Tool” to complete all elements of their BNG application.

200

Joe’s Blooms generated metric sheets and BNG plans that went to over 200 Local Planning Authorities across the whole of England.

98.2%

98.2% of all planning applications that used the “Biodiversity Net Gain Tool” reported no problems or issues.

41.6%

41.6% of all planning applications were completed in under 24 hours, with many taking as little as 45 minutes.

Key conclusions

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Although individually modest, small sites collectively account for a large share of England’s land-use changes.

It’s essential that the benefits of BNG can be scaled up, and the Small Site Metric (SSM) is central to this given the significant proportion of planning applications it covers. There is room for refinement in the policy as it stands, but its success in promoting biodiversity restoration and providing public access to nature is significant - as is its role in providing a level playing field. Evidence shows that applicants are making simple yet impactful adjustments, such as placing temporary schoolrooms on already concreted areas instead of soft-scale land. In isolation, these may seem small changes, but added together they have a very large impact.

There has been no significant impact on the number of planning applications in England.

As this report highlights, hundreds of applicants have used digital tools to successfully comply with the BNG requirements - with many going from start to finish in just a few hours. There are readily available digital tools which have proven successful at simplifying the process and providing consistent advice. As is further set out in this report, there are now many applicants 3 completing the BNG process in 45 minutes, guaranteeing that small sites contribute meaningfully to habitat creation and restoration targets.

The primary challenges in the BNG process stem from Local Planning Authorities (LPAs) imposing excessive requirements beyond the SSM’s guidelines.

In the case studies set out below, delays most often arise when LPAs seek independent ecologist assessments, leading to disputes that draw out the planning process unnecessarily. These are often issues that do not have a clear benefit to the natural environment. To address this, existing Natural England guidance should be formalised, instructing LPAs to limit the use of external ecologists to reduce unnecessary delays and disputes.

BNG can go further faster to safeguard England’s biodiversity for future generations.

The Government should revisit its commitment to reviewing exemptions, as this current loophole is unnecessarily holding back the Government’s ability to deliver its nature restoration targets. Many developers want to do more and are embracing their contribution to nature restoration - the Government should address any obstacles to this happening.

Key recommendations

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The Government should re-emphasise to LPAs that small site applicants can use digital tools to help them complete the small site metric.

The standard form for a planning application should be changed so that householders can more easily voluntarily choose to undertake BNG.

The Government should reiterate to LPAs that it is disproportionate to involve in-house ecologists in querying minor details of small site submissions.

The Government and LPAs should clarify that for very small sites (e.g. 1 to 2 units) the expectation is that an applicant should submit a small site metric completed by a competent person, not a full metric completed by an ecologist.