Biodiversity net gain: mapping out the process
Helen Nyul, Group Head of Biodiversity at Barratt Developments, and Rebecca Moberly, Principal Consultant at Planning Advisory Service, discuss how developing a shared process map can help encourage a smoother and more predictable process to delivering biodiversity net gain (BNG).
Understanding what needs to be delivered, by when is key to the smooth running of any project. The current BNG requirement is very new to developers and local planning authorities (LPA) alike, and therefore a tool to help shed light on what needs to be delivered was considered to be very useful.
To help map out those requirements developers from Future Homes Hub and the Planning Advisory Service worked together to produce the
BNG Process Map.
This collaboration has informed both sectors of what needs to be done and how long it might take to be able to successfully design and deliver a BNG project through the current development and planning lifecycle stages. The aim was to produce a high level process diagram based on the information currently available on how mandatory BNG will work from November 2023.
By going through this process we have also been able to identify what additional information and guidance is needed to be able to implement the BNG process for both LPAs and the developer sector. This information has been fed back to the team at DEFRA who are in the midst of writing up the guidance.
From the developer perspective the process map will ensure that all the elements required to be delivered can be planned in accordingly. Additionally it provides an insight into how the deliverables are processed within the LPA as well as time scales for approval.
From the LPA perspective the process map helps set out what information local authorities should expect to be submitted on BNG and when this should come in the planning application process. It also highlights the key activities that LPAs will need to undertake to meet the new statutory requirements through the development management process.
What is key is the continued communication between LPAs and Developers to understand the challenges associated with the BNG process to enable solutions that can either increase efficiencies or improve the deliverables and the timescales associated with the overall process.
We’d love your feedback, especially on:
• Is there anything you'd change or add to the map to help the process run smoothly?
• How can this process map be used to help improve the process for developers and authorities?