Biodiversity net gain required from April 2024 for 'minor' developments

[Alan Ambrose]

https://blog.planningportal.co.uk/2023/12/19/biodiversity-net-gain-details-required-from-january-2024

[Iceverge]

I'm very pro biodiversity, in fact I'm about halfway through planting a few hundred trees over the winter with this in mind...

 

But ....

 

I'm skeptical this will do anything other than create more delays and expense for the builder and more jobs for officialdom, planning is too hard as it is. 

[Roger440]

Im not sure i understand the definition of a "small site".

 

Is that 5 houses, one house, an extension?

 

Sounds like another load of non jobs hsave been created. Who will no doubt charge £1000 a day for their services.

[Alan Ambrose]

‘Small sites’ are apparently the same as ‘minor sites’ i.e. less than 10 houses, including the usual BH case of one dwelling.

[mr rusty]

As a someone this doesn't affect but have an interest, this looks like a huge tier of additional work and cost which can only reflect in the prices charged for new houses, which will drive up the cost of all housing. 

I came across this:-

 

Quote

As a landowner, you have the opportunity to put your land up to tender to be used by developers to create, improve or re-establish an ecosystem or habitat. Whether that be through planting trees or creating plans for a wetland, hedgerow, pond or area of wildflowers. 

Biodiversity net gain can greatly benefit landowners in that it offers scope for landowners to secure measurable gains by selling or leasing land to a developer, biodiversity broker or local authority. If you are a landowner with woodland and grassland, it could be potentially eligible for use for offsetting. Not only are there profitable benefits to this, but it will mean you have played an important role in helping to protect, restore and enhance biodiversity in your area.

 

 

So if you are a developer, you have the option to buy another piece of land solely to improve the biodiversity to offset against the development. I hope no land sold for this purpose has any connection whatsoever with the panel determining the planning application.... Cynical? moi?

[SteamyTea]

12 minutes ago, mr rusty said:

So if you are a developer, you have the option to buy another piece of land solely to improve the biodiversity to offset against the development. I hope no land sold for this purpose has any connection whatsoever with the panel determining the planning application

They could buy a zoo.

 

[Alan Ambrose]

Actually it strikes me that the simply way of encouraging biodiversity is for each village/town to buy a few acres of farmland cheap and either run it themselves or pay somebody to run it as scrubland/wild flowers/birdseed etc. i was amazed when we let the grass grow a bit (by neglect rather than by intention) on some pasture we had. Next thing there were hawks around hunting for mice and stuff. I suppose a bit of greener/wilder space in the average mass housingdevelopment wouldn’t go amiss. Explaining to the LPA what I’m doing re birdboxes etc? Nextthey’ll want to send someone round to monitor how long the grass is.