As mandatory Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) is a legal requirement for most development projects in England, landowners are seeking practical ways to unlock new income streams and contribute to the natural environment through habitat enhancement. Preparing your land to deliver BNG can position you to sell biodiversity units, support local development sites, and align with wider Local Nature Recovery Strategies (LNRS). But to take part effectively, your land must be properly assessed, managed, and aligned with planning requirements.
In this guide, we explore how to prepare your land for BNG opportunities. It is a practical checklist designed to help you navigate the legal framework, planning system, and ecological processes involved.
Understand the Planning Context and Legal Framework
First, familiarise yourself with the relevant planning laws that underpin biodiversity net gain. BNG is now a legal requirement under the Environment Act, with enforcement tied closely to the Town and Country Planning Act. Whether supporting custom build development, minerals development, or phased development, all BNG contributions must follow the biodiversity gain hierarchy, which prioritises on site gains before off site gains or the use of statutory biodiversity credits.
Assess Pre-Development Biodiversity Value
The next step in preparing your land is establishing a clear pre-development biodiversity value using the statutory biodiversity metric developed by Defra. Accurate biodiversity metric calculations are crucial to demonstrate potential uplift. Professional ecologists can assess existing habitats, landscape features, and the potential for habitat creation or habitat enhancement.
This baseline assessment is the foundation for future biodiversity gain plans. It identifies what enhancements or creation opportunities are feasible and how you might offer biodiversity units to development sites struggling to meet their biodiversity gain objective through on-site habitat enhancements alone.
Plan for Habitat Creation and Ongoing Management
Successful BNG delivery relies not only on creating habitats, but also on managing them effectively over at least 30 years. Establish a realistic plan for habitat management, identifying opportunities to restore or create habitats considering the existing habitats on site, the local context, and your abilities to undertake the management.
You’ll need a long-term monitoring plan and a legally binding agreement such as a conservation covenant or SE106 to formalise your responsibilities. These measures are essential to support ongoing management and demonstrate accountability to responsible bodies.
Align with Local and National Priorities
To maximise the value of your land in BNG markets, align your plans with local and national priorities. Review your region’s Local Nature Recovery Strategy (if published), which sets out where local authorities want to see targeted ecological improvements. After you have a legal agreement (and any necessary permits) in place, you will need to register your land on the Biodiversity Gain Site Register, which helps connect your site with developers seeking off-site biodiversity gains. By being proactive, your land could support a major development, a non-major development, or even a minor development struggling to meet the required uplift.
Consider Financial, Legal and Planning Implications
Before you proceed, consider key financial and legal matters. Participation in BNG schemes may carry tax implications, affect how you declare income from natural capital, and involve costs for ecological surveys and legal support. You’ll also need to budget for management costs and monitoring over time.
Take Advantage of Further Guidance and Expert Help
Navigating BNG successfully requires expert guidance at every stage—from habitat assessments and support with site registration to long-term biodiversity monitoring. Civity provides an end-to-end service, end-to-end service for landowners looking to deliver Biodiversity Net Gain that is ecologically sound, legally compliant, and financially viable.
We take care of everything: assessing the ecological baseline, preparing the Habitat Management and Monitoring Plan (HMMP), securing all necessary consents such as Flood Risk Activity Permits and EIA Agriculture screening, and liaising with the Local Planning Authority or Responsible Body to secure the legal agreement. We also handle the site registration process and cover the associated legal costs on behalf of the landowner.
Our team then works proactively to broker BNG unit sales with developers—ensuring market access and financial return for the landowner. Once the site is established, we remain your ecological partner throughout the duration of the full scheme, carrying out monitoring surveys and submitting the required reports, giving peace of mind that all obligations are being met.
Whether you’re managing farmland, woodland, or underused land with low existing biodiversity, Civity can help unlock its potential. With careful planning, strategic insight, and integrated delivery, we help you make the most of nature markets, creating habitats that benefit both biodiversity and your business.
