BNG success for small developments in England
We’re proud to be supporting small development projects across England – including a large number of residential sites – and helping to make sure Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) can work for small site developers.
With April 2025 marking the anniversary of small site BNG policy, we’re highlighting a selection of clients from across the country whose small projects we’ve recently supported by supplying off-site Biodiversity Units with expert BNG guidance.
Homeowner’s property extended in Lincolnshire residential project
Liam Offord required off-site Biodiversity Units to gain planning permission for an annex and timber garage extension for his property in Lincolnshire. Having not encountered BNG before, Liam had expected that these Biodiversity Units would cost more than he ended up paying.
We had grassland Units readily available from our Heacham Habitat Bank in The Fens – the same National Character Area (NCA) as Liam’s property – so we were able to provide local BNG, the most cost-effective off-site option.
Liam reserved the required Units and within two days of planning permission being granted, we completed his purchase. A week later, his Units were formally allocated on Natural England’s biodiversity gain sites register so work could begin on time.
Environment Bank made it easy to meet my BNG condition off-site and the team were really quick and efficient.
Liam Offord
Homeowner
Warehouse expanded in Manchester manufacturing project
Packaging manufacturers WERiT UK Limited recently extended their warehouse in Irlam, Manchester, to give them the space to enable more sustainable production processes, including incorporating recycled materials into their manufacturing.
The Northbank Industrial Estate was not a suitable space to achieve the 10% BNG required on-site, so WERiT reached out to Environment Bank to purchase off-site Biodiversity Units from our Habitat Banks in Horwich and Hoscar.
We tailored the exact number of Biodiversity Units needed to satisfy WERiT’s BNG condition – less than a whole Unit in each of the three habitat types required – which meant they didn’t need to pay more than necessary.
When WERiT received planning permission sooner than expected, we were easily able to end their reservation and complete their purchase early. The project’s Biodiversity Units were allocated on the biodiversity gain sites register within two days so work on the warehouse extension could go ahead.
A huge thanks to Environment Bank for supporting us through the process and getting everything sorted for us quickly. It’s great to see the work being done by Environment Bank’s ecologists to restore habitats nearby.
Sunny Prakash
Managing Director
WERiT UK Limited
New homes built in Yorkshire residential project
After changes to their new housing project in Yorkshire made it no longer exempt, BNG remained as the only planning condition preventing Pretty Perfect Properties from receiving planning approval.
To achieve BNG off-site, Pretty Perfect Properties purchased off-site Biodiversity Units from our Horwich Habitat Bank which is located in the adjacent NCA to the development. We also provided expert support to Harrogate Architectural who were completing the biodiversity gain plan for this project.
Pretty Perfect Properties only required less than one fifth of a Biodiversity Unit and we supplied the specific amount needed so they didn’t need to pay for a whole Unit. Once planning permission was granted, their Biodiversity Units were allocated onto the register within a month so the new residence could be built on schedule.
Thanks to providers like Environment Bank, BNG can really work for small developers like us. Because we could buy the exact amount we needed, our off-site Biodiversity Units cost us less than we expected.
Olivia Mitchell
Pretty Perfect Properties
One year of small site BNG policy
After it became mandatory for major projects in February 2024, BNG came into effect for small developments on 2nd April 2024. For residential development, this includes projects with nine houses or fewer on less than one hectare of land.
Due to their size, there’s often little green space available to create or enhance habitats to achieve biodiversity gains on-site. It’s also difficult to ensure adequate protection and monitoring for on-site habitats for the mandatory 30-year period to deliver the gains expected.
This means that developers will usually need at least some off-site BNG to meet their planning conditions, and they can do so by purchasing Biodiversity Units from BNG Habitat Banks like those found in our expanding national network.
We’re really pleased to be working with a growing number of developers, making BNG as simple as possible and helping to ensure that projects can go ahead as planned.