A plan submitted for buying units representing habitat uplift, under England’s biodiversity net gain (BNG) scheme, could be the first of its kind, said a lawyer.
The ‘biodiversity gain plan’ proposed purchasing off-site units from a project about 220 miles away from the development after struggling to find anything closer, Carbon Pulse has learned.
Brentwood School and Community College, near Manchester, proposed buying 8.48 BNG units from the Iford Biodiversity Project in East Sussex for an extension, according to a document submitted at the end of June.
The plan could be the first of its kind in the country, said Angus Walker, partner at London-based law firm BDB Pitmans.
Walker has investigated BNG-related planning applications – the stage before a biodiversity gain plan – over the last two months.
The government’s environmental agency told Carbon Pulse it could not clarify whether Brentwood School’s Plan was the first, as only local authorities monitor this data.
“NO OTHER OPTION”
The publishing of the biodiversity net gain plan marks the beginning of the stage where developers formally enquire about purchasing units, in a market that has seen slow demand since its February launch.
“There aren’t any biodiversity units available locally, and the project needs to start on-site immediately, as the construction must commence while the school pupils are on summer holidays,” said Thomas Lord, senior planner at consultancy Turley.
The purchase of over eight units would be double the requirement had the developer purchased units closer to the school. BNG penalises developers for buying off-site units that are further away from developments to encourage local action.
“More expensive, but we have no other option,” Lord told Carbon Pulse. He did not know the price of the Iford units.
The developer found the units via the national BNG register, which has only published nine sites so far, most of which in Southern England. The Iford units in question, established in Spring 2023, have the habitat type of ‘other neutral grassland’.
“Everything has been done to enhance biodiversity on site,” said Lord, with actions including replacing urban trees and modified grassland.
Under the BNG legislation introduced in February, developers must increase biodiversity by at least 10%. One unit represents the biodiversity value of habitat in an area dependent on its size, quality, location, and habitat type, according to the UK government’s metric tool.
“UNHELPFUL” REGISTER
Eventually, the BNG register will have a lot more options, Walker said. The government-backed website is “very unhelpful – it doesn’t give any contact details, you have to separately find who’s responsible for them”, he said.
“The last government for some reason didn’t want the register to be the marketplace. They want private enterprise to provide lots of separate marketplaces, which is rather unhelpful to developers.”
Developers can search for units at private marketplaces such as Gaia, which had listed 25,000 units at £30,000 on average in May.
TIPPING POINT?
The last two weeks have felt like the start of a tipping point for Gaia, co-founder Ben Askins told Carbon Pulse.
“We have seen a huge boost in searches and enquiries. We are still not quite there yet in regards to the first real tranche of developments that require BNG, but we are getting very close.
“Our forecasts have identified August or September as the first real wave.”
By Thomas Cox – t.cox@carbon-pulse.com
*** Click here to sign up to our twice-weekly biodiversity newsletter ***
