An open letter from industry leaders and environmental charities is urging the Government to get Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) back on track across England.
The letter1 follows recent proposals to remove small and medium-sized developments from BNG commitments, a move The Wildlife Trusts has warned represents a weakening of the policy.
Addressed to the Prime Minister, the letter – co-signed by Knight Frank, Schroders Wealth Management and Triodos Bank among other – says: “Our collective voice sends a clear message: weakening BNG would come at a high cost, setting back this fast-developing economy and more widely threatening business confidence in nature policy.”
According to The Wildlife Trusts, BNG is critical to unlocking win-wins for nature and development, aiming for new developments to leave the natural environment in a better state than they found it.
They have joined forces with business leaders including finance providers and developers to call for BNG to be embedded in all development plans, no matter their size.
The policy, they argue, is already delivering results for nature, businesses and communities, with nearly 100 sites now working to create habitats and greenspaces alongside new homes and infrastructure.
The resulting Biodiversity Net Gain, when done well, benefits local residents and wildlife while also increasing neighbourhood resilience to climate change risks such as flooding and extreme heat.
Joan Edwards OBE, The Wildlife Trusts, says: “Even small developments can have a huge impact on wildlife, so if the legal requirement for Biodiversity Net Gain is lost from small sites, nature will be squeezed into smaller and smaller pockets.
“This policy could be the cornerstone of a thriving economy, but a nature-positive future can only become a reality with the right support and direction from Government.”
Whitni Thomas, head of corporate finance, Triodos Bank UK, said: “There is a very positive emerging industry around the BNG market that needs to see policy certainty, fair enforcement, and transparent monitoring.
“Predictable market demand will be essential to unlock private sector investment, crowd in finance and deliver high-integrity biodiversity outcomes to meet the challenge of protecting and restoring nature.”
To reinstate business confidence in delivering BNG, the letter’s signatories argue that small and medium-sized developments must not be made exempt from protecting wildlife and making up for nature loss. Developments of this size represent a key driver of demand in the developing nature market, with around 80% of BNG allocation2 linked to minor developments in the year since the policy was introduced.
Research from Wildlife and Countryside Link and Eftec3 revealed that if developments up to and including 1 hectare (ha) are exempt from the BNG requirement, 24,220 ha (an area equivalent to the size of nearly 35,000 football pitches) of extra developed land will not have to deliver any mitigation for damage done to wildlife and habitats. This would also represent a loss of funding for nature’s recovery equivalent to around £250m per year.
Having recently tabled amendments to Part 3 of the Planning and Infrastructure Bill (following months of campaigning by The Wildlife Trusts and other environmental organisations), the Government has already committed to prioritising wildlife welfare in their plans to deliver 1.5 million homes.
