Olivia Dear at Wates Developments explains why Biodiversity Net Gain is now a strategic consideration which can deliver lasting benefits for communities.
The relationship between development and the natural environment has become an increasingly important consideration for the housebuilding sector. There is a growing recognition by the sector that, like housing numbers, nature is struggling. We all need to play a role in helping to reverse the staggering decline in biodiversity and create healthier, more resilient landscapes for future generations.
This is the challenge Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) was designed to address. It introduced a new approach to planning that requires developers to leave biodiversity in a measurably better state than before development began. While initially viewed by some as an additional planning obligation, BNG is increasingly being recognised as a framework capable of supporting better placemaking, environmental resilience and long term value creation. For housebuilders, understanding why BNG matters, the benefits it can deliver and how to deliver it successfully without compromising project delivery is essential.
Why is BNG important?
The UK is one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world, with habitats and wildlife facing increasing pressure from urbanisation, climate change and changing land use patterns.
Biodiversity underpins healthy ecosystems, providing benefits that range from flood mitigation and improved air quality to carbon storage and public wellbeing. Historically, developers were asked to minimise environmental harm. But now, it’s about leaving behind measurable and lasting improvements; not just reducing impact. The aim of the BNG legislation is not to prevent development. It is about providing developers with a mechanism for nature recovery and development to co-exist.
For housebuilders, this represents a significant evolution, both in planning policy and in how outcomes for nature are considered in a project’s conception, viability, delivery and long term management.
Importantly, BNG encourages a more strategic approach to site planning. By considering ecological opportunities early in the design process, developers can often identify solutions that not only deliver environmental benefits, but support local stakeholder sentiment and planning, as well as commercial benefits.
What benefits does BNG deliver?
While compliance is often the initial driver, the wider benefits of BNG extend well beyond meeting planning requirements.
At a local level, the impact on nature from development is often a significant concern for stakeholders. However, with BNG considered strategically from the outset, communities can benefit from better quality green and blue infrastructure and placemaking. This in turn supports wellbeing through access to nature on the doorstep as well as welcoming, natural spaces for people to meet, connect and build community. Further to this, considering a development’s BNG aims in the wider local context of the Local Nature Recovery Strategy set by the Local Planning Authority can demonstrate to locals that a development isn’t being considered in isolation.
For housebuilders, BNG can provide practical benefits too. Well designed green infrastructure helps manage surface water, improve climate resilience, reduce urban heat effects and contribute to healthier living environments. As environmental performance becomes an increasingly important consideration for local authorities, investors and communities, delivering meaningful biodiversity outcomes can also support broader sustainability objectives.
And then, of course, there is the impact at a national level. The Environment Act and the BNG policy are the UK Government’s primary drivers to support the restoration and creation of habitats that stave off the nature and climate crisis we are living in. New woodlands, species-rich grasslands, wetlands, ponds and hedgerows contribute to healthier ecosystems and stronger ecological networks across the country.
How does the system work?
At its core, Biodiversity Net Gain requires most developments in England to demonstrate a minimum 10% increase in biodiversity value compared to the site’s baseline condition before development takes place.
This increase is measured using the Statutory Biodiversity Metric, which assesses habitat size, quality, distinctiveness and location. The metric converts these characteristics into biodiversity units, creating a consistent methodology for calculating losses and gains.
The process begins with an ecological assessment of the site. Existing habitats are surveyed and their biodiversity value established. The proposed development is then assessed to determine how it will affect those habitats and what measures can be implemented to achieve the required uplift.
Developers are expected to follow the ‘mitigation hierarchy’ throughout this process, which means that the first priority is to avoid impacts wherever possible. Where impacts cannot be avoided, efforts should be made to minimise harm and enhance biodiversity within the development itself.
Many schemes can deliver a significant proportion of their biodiversity gains onsite through measures such as habitat enhancement or creation, native planting, green corridors, ponds, pocket parks, and green verges. Integrating these features early in the design process can often deliver both ecological and placemaking benefits.
However, site constraints mean onsite delivery is not always sufficient. High-density housing schemes, brownfield developments and sites with limited available green space can struggle to achieve the required uplift within their boundaries.
In these circumstances, offsite ‘biodiversity units’ provide an important mechanism for compliance. Delivered through dedicated habitat creation schemes, they enable developers to secure the biodiversity gains they need while supporting nature recovery elsewhere. As the market continues to evolve, many housebuilders are finding that early planning and engagement are critical to ensuring the right units are available when required.
A defining feature of BNG is its long-term approach. All onsite and offsite habitat creation and enhancement must be maintained and monitored for a minimum of 30 years with oversight from the Local Planning Authority or a Responsible Body. The 30-year commitment is secured through the Section 106 or a Conservation Covenant. Housebuilders need to think very carefully about how the onsite habitats will be managed, whether these long term costs have been factored in, and critically whether the management company has the skills necessary to ensure their survival.
Looking ahead
As the industry adapts to Biodiversity Net Gain, the most successful projects are likely to be those that view biodiversity as an integral part of development rather than a final-stage planning consideration.
For housebuilders, early engagement with ecologists, planners and biodiversity specialists can help identify opportunities, reduce uncertainty and support smoother project delivery. Equally, understanding how any biodiversity shortfall will be addressed can provide valuable certainty as planning applications progress.
While many developments will achieve substantial biodiversity gains onsite, offsite provision will continue to play an important role where physical constraints limit what can be delivered within a scheme. As demand for BNG units grows, developers are increasingly seeking partners that can offer not only habitat units, but also confidence in long-term delivery, stewardship and compliance.
This is where specialist providers are helping to bridge the gap between development and nature recovery.
Ultimately, Biodiversity Net Gain represents more than a regulatory requirement. It provides a framework for balancing the delivery of much needed homes with the restoration of the natural environment. By embracing that opportunity and planning strategically from the outset, housebuilders can create places that not only meet housing demand, but also leave a lasting positive legacy for communities, wildlife and nature alike.
Olivia Dear is sustainability & Wates Wildscape director at Wates Developments