Govt pushes back BNG policies

A new timeline set out by government indicates that laws intending to force developers to improve countryside and wildlife habitats will now be fully implemented by 2025, one year after the initial April 2024 deadline.

The government’s BNG policies will eventually see the environmental strategy become a mandatory part of the planning system, forcing developers to agree to deliver a biodiversity gain on or off-site at a 10% minimum. The law was supposed to be rolled out in phases in between this November and April 2024.

Rumours were sparked yesterday that there would be an indefinite delay to the implementation of BNG, with the uncertainty sparking anger across the North West property industry. Experts feared the worst and had expressed their disappointment and concern with the government’s lack of direction with environmental policy.

The government has now cleared up the timeline for the implementation of BNG, with developers now required to deliver the 10% uplift from January 2024 when building new housing, industrial, or commercial developments. The policy will then be applicable to small sites from next April, and finally nationally significant infrastructure projects in 2025.

No time to wait

For a country with 50% of its economy linked to nature, a policy that would force developers to leave the environment in a better state than they found it does not seem to be one that the North West property community can wait for.

With that, the news comes just after the government pitched to throw out nutrient neutrality rules and announced a watered-down approach to its net zero timeline, and many are becoming impatient.

Stephen O’Malley, chief executive of Civic Engineers, described the move as “deeply disappointing” set in the context of “persistent delays and row back.”

O’Malley is pleased to see clear timescales, however emphasised that “in the midst of a climate emergency, we simply cannot afford to delay.”

“It is evident that a more joined up, comprehensive, and fully funded approach needs to be taken that sets out a clear route map,” he said.

“Only by enabling this to be independent from political interference and election cycles can we really start to make any progress.”

Wavering commitments

Most have praised the publication of a timetable, however developers and local authorities want certainty from the government.

Darren Muir, director of planning at Pegasus Group, highlighted that the delay in implementing the BNG policies follows “constant reassurance” from government bodies that the original November date would be met.

“Ultimately, the decision to delay implementation to January 2024 (April 2025 for NSIPs), within hours of giving the go-ahead for the largest untapped oil field in UK, is a sad testament of the government’s commitment to the environment.”

The UK Green Building Council echoed this view, describing the delay as “yet another blow” to sustainable development, undermining national efforts to reverse climate change.

A spokesperson from the UKGBC said: “As for the rollback on carbon policy last week, the industry needs certainty clarity and commitment in order to facilitate green investment and continue to make progress.

“Biodiversity net gain is no exception.”

Preparation is key

Some have welcomed the delay, seeing the extra time as an opportunity for the government to engage with planning teams and confirm the details, funding, and training essential for the policy’s successful implementation.

The Royal Town Planning Institute recently published new data, which showed that 61% of public sector planners could not confirm that they would have the dedicated biodiversity net gain resource and in-house ecological expertise in place by the November deadline.

The government has announced that it will publish guidance on the new regulations in November, including details of the statutory biodiversity metric that will be used for calculating the correct biodiversity gain.

Simon Richards, managing director of Land Studio, hopes that the extra time available will be “used wisely” to ensure BNG can be assessed thoroughly.

“Designing building projects with BNG at the forefront provides spaces that are not only beneficial for wildlife but also provides places where people can interact and connect with nature which can be enormously beneficial for our wellbeing.

“The State of Nature report which came out yesterday makes a quick and effective implementation of BNG even more pertinent.”

Richards called on other designers responsible for the built environment to “keep the pressure” on the government, and to “hold them accountable for their actions”.