press release
Published: 07 March 2024

Biodiversity Net Gain: new policy “unlikely” to restore nature by itself, says Surrey expert

From Monday 12 February, the requirement for most construction projects to measure and deliver Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) became a legal requirement under the Environment Act 2021.


 

field of wildflowers

This will force all large construction projects to measure biodiversity, and ensure they leave the natural environment in a better state than it was before.

Laurence Cummins, Doctoral Practitioner in Sustainability at the University of Surrey and Sustainability Manager at construction giant Wates Group, is author of the paper “Biodiversity Net Gain — understanding the opportunities and challenges ahead” in Town and Country Planning.

BNG will certainly go some way towards neutralising the harmful impact of development on nature. It gives legal significance to a much wider range of ecological impacts than before, and provides a toolkit for planners and developers to consider how to avoid, minimise, and compensate for these impacts.

It looks as though Surrey Nature Partnership’s Work to encourage planning authorities in Surrey to set BNG requirements at 20%, instead of the national minimum of 10%, is paying off. Several local authorities, including Guildford Borough, are set to impose a 20% BNG requirement on developers. This is more likely to ensure that outcomes for biodiversity will be genuinely positive.

But by itself, BNG is unlikely to significantly drive forward strategic nature recovery across England, or encourage developers to embrace green infrastructure and nature-based solutions in their schemes.

In fact, there are reasons to be concerned that BNG may struggle to deliver net gains at all in practice. That’s because there are still significant capacity issues, skills shortages and low levels of innovation within relevant areas of the public and private sectors. Along with concerning loopholes within the policy itself, these could severely undermine both the governance and the delivery of BNG.

We need a more strategic approach to addressing complex and interlocking issues such as nature recovery, urban greening, and the housing crisis. Laurence Cummins, Centre for Environment and Sustainability

Laurence's work promotes the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 9 (industry, innovation and infrastructure), 11 (sustainable cities and communities) and 15 (life on land).

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Laurence Cummins

Laurence Cummins

Doctoral Practitioner in Sustainability

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