New Updates on BNG
Over the past week or so we have seen a number of new updates from Defra on the implementation and coming into force of Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) in England.
The new updates include:
- Further detail on some key stakeholder questions including confirming when the Biodiversity Gain Site Register and statutory metric will be available.
- £9 million in funding for local authorities, including £4.4m new funding, with the remainder allowing local authorities holding funds from last year’s grant to spend that funding this year.
- 10 actions local planning authorities can take to prepare for Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG)
- Published guidance on statutory biodiversity credit prices.
- A new Land Use Policies and Framework blog, which will consolidate case studies, updates and commentary across land use policies, including BNG, nutrient neutrality and LNRS.
- Launch of the application process for responsible bodies to support conservation covenants.
Defra continues to add information and guidance to this webpage on a rolling basis.
Members may also be interested in the below two webinars, which are aimed at helping those who are interested in doing so to prepare to enter the off-site market. Please sign up below and share with your relevant contacts:
- 2 August, 3:30-4:30pm: Biodiversity Net Gain for landowners: how to get involved – suitable if you’re new to BNG, or want to understand the off-site process step by step.
- 7 August, 2-3pm: Biodiversity metric demonstration for landowners – also relevant to ecologists, learn how to use the biodiversity metric to calculate how many off-site units you can produce on your land.
The British Standards Institute (BSI) has also just published its report on Establishing High-Integrity Nature Markets. This is part of its Nature Investment Standards programme.