Biodiversity Net Gain: Greening your estates, and getting someone to pay you to do it

2024 has seen the introduction, nationwide, of the Biodiversity Net Gain Requirement. A condition to be inserted into virtually all new planning permissions now requires the approval of a Biodiversity Net Gain Plan before development can commence, and approval will not be forthcoming if that plan doesn’t demonstrate a 10% uplift.

Planning Policy has a preference for that uplift to be provided on site – but fallback alternatives are available in the form of Biodiversity Units and Biodiversity Credits.  Forward thinking landowners are already considering the opportunity open to them to implement ecological projects on their own land and sell the Units those then creates.

Topics Covered:

• An overview of the BNG requirement
• The BNG Planning Condition
• How Biodiversity Net Gain plans will work and how ecological projects will be secured
• How landowners including local authorities and housing associations can generate funds by creating and selling Units

Speakers:

Hannah Langford, Partner, Real Estate and Projects

Hannah works closely with housing associations, local authorities and private developers with a particular focus on planning, development and regeneration schemes.  Hannah heads up our planning team and advises on all aspects of town and country planning including drafting and negotiating section 106 and infrastructure agreements, advising on appropriation, planning appeals and listed buildings.

Hannah is also a Board Member for Golding Homes and chairs the renumeration and governance subcommittee.

Neil Toner, Partner, Real Estate and Projects

Neil was formerly our Head of Real Estate, one of the largest teams in the firm, before becoming a Consultant in 2023. Neil acted on the full range of issues that arise on property acquisition, development, disposal and beyond working with clients on overall property and development strategy as well as leading on specific transactions: from initial heads of terms discussions, through project delivery to property portfolio management. That involved issues such as JV structuring, planning, rights to light and other complex title problems, long term environmental and ecological liabilities, development agreements, overage, commercial lease disposals and grant funding.