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Get a preliminary assessment on whether you are eligible for a BNG exemption!
This tool is designed to alert you about how the rules have changed for your application. It will help determine whether or not your application needs to comply with the statutory Biodiversity Net Gain regime set out in Schedule 7A to the Town and Country Planning Act 1990.
Which tool should I use?
The Biodiversity Net Gain Tool is a new tool that offers small sites end-to end compliance with the new BNG law.
Use our BNG toolJoe's Blooms Explore is a new digital tool that allows you to easily work out the Biodiversity Unit value of any piece of land.
Use our Explore toolOur easy-to-use tool ensures full biodiversity net gain compliance and control for Local Planning Authorities.
Access the LPA portalBNG is here. If you are keen to get ahead of the curve and stay updated with all the latest BNG news, please sign up here.
The BNG law is a policy in England requiring development projects from April 2024 to achieve at least a 10% increase in biodiversity units on-site. This is measured using the Statutory Biodiversity Metric, which assesses the current and potential biodiversity impacted by development or restoration activities. The policy ensures compliance with the Environment Act 2021, aiming to balance development with nature conservation.
The de minimis BNG threshold for a development is based on the standards below.
A development that does not impact a priority habitat and impacts
less than 25 square metres (e.g. 5m x 5m) of non-priority onsite habitat (such as modified grassland)
or 5m for non-priority onsite linear habitats (such as native hedgerows).
If a development affects less than 25 square meters of non-priority habitat but negatively impacts 5 meters or more of non-priority linear habitat, or vice versa, the exemption will not apply, and all habitats will be subject to BNG.
Additionally, if any priority habitat within the red line boundary of the development is impacted, the exemption will not apply, and all habitats will be subject to BNG.
Planning applications that were made before day one of mandatory BNG on 12th February 2024.
Development below a de minimis threshold.
Small development applications that were made before Small Site BNG became mandatory on 2nd April 2024
Householder applications such as small projects for home extensions.
Self-build and custom-build applications when they meet certain criteria.
Developments undertaken mainly for the purpose of fulfilling the BNG planning condition for another development.
High Speed Railway Transport Network.
Don't worry, we have the solution. Our BNG Exemption checker can help determine whether your application needs to comply with the statutory BNG law.
Use the exemption tool above, which has been reviewed by industry lawyers. Our checker will produce the necessary documentation to confirm your exemption status.
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In this blog, we will explore biodiversity conservation challenges in greater detail, including habitat loss and fragmentation, climate change, invasive species, and governance and policy issues.
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In this blog, we explore the concept of irreplaceable habitats, their importance in maintaining ecosystems, and how they are safeguarded in BNG and in other government plans and policies.
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When it comes to preserving and enhancing biodiversity in development projects, this principle is key - and is built into the biodiversity metric via the spatial risk multiplier.
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