We are pleased to announce that yesterday we published and laid before parliament regulations which set in motion changes to Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) for projects requiring planning permission under the Town and Country Planning Act. Read this post to find out more.
Restoring nature across the government estate – and beyond During London Climate Action Week, Defra published the Government Estate Nature Plan (GENP), the first plan of its kind globally, setting out how nature will be restored across government-owned land in England. In this …
We have reached a significant milestone in implementing Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) for Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects (NSIPs). Earlier this week the final biodiversity gain statements were formally laid in Parliament and are now available on GOV.UK. These statements are central to applying BNG to the NSIP regime and accompany the two statutory instruments in …
Over the past two years, Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) has started to change the way development and nature work together, and we’ve learned a huge amount from local authorities, developers and ecologists along the way. Last week, we published a set of updates that strengthen and streamline how BNG operates across the planning system. Read …
Yesterday the government launched a major consultation on planning reform – building on our amends last year this will be the most fundamental rewrite of the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) since its introduction over a decade ago. These reforms will create a clearer, more rules-based planning system, where developments that meet requirements can move forward with greater certainty. …
There are two live public consultations on biodiversity net gain: one on nationally significant infrastructure projects, and one on how we can help smaller developers to deliver the policy. Find out how to share your views.
In this post, Rachel Fisher, Deputy Director for the Land Use policy team at Defra, shares her reflections on Biodiversity Net Gain 9 months after the policy went live for major developments.
The first Local Nature Recovery Strategy has been published. Find out why that's important for local and national biodiversity.
In this post, aimed at local planning authorities, 3 guests tell us how they are securing off-site biodiversity net gain habitats.
Conservation covenants are legally binding agreements to protect nature or heritage features on land. In this post, we explore their benefits - including how they help to expand the market for biodiversity net gain offsite units.