COMMENT At Berkeley Group, we embraced biodiversity net gain as a voluntary commitment and it worked wonders for us, helping us deliver more homes and better natural landscapes. It’s now been 12 months since the sector-wide regulations came into force and the collaborative efforts to make BNG work have been heartening to see.
It’s fair to say that in any sector, integrating new regulations can slow processes down. It’s vital that we all remain focused on the ultimate goal, which is supporting nature and wildlife habitats, rather than any areas where regulations may seem heavy-handed. The first few projects delivered with mandated BNG requirements are coming close to completion, but our conversations across the industry indicate that it’s likely still too early to be able to draw clear conclusions.
However, we can and should identify good practices so that we can safeguard the long-term success of biodiversity net gain as an approach and deliver homes that benefit from close integration with nature.
Five of my key takeaways from the first year of BNG regulations are:
1. The power of partnerships
Collaboration is crucial for delivering biodiversity-focused developments that meet both aesthetic and functional goals. Engaging with organisations including Natural England, the London Wildlife Trust and expert landscape architects has allowed us to balance ecological objectives with usability. Their expertise and experience in advocating excellent design are invaluable, especially during the pre-application and planning stages, and they continually challenge us to create more biodiverse and interesting places.
2. Communication is key
A lot of work has been done to provide cross-sector guidance and improve how BNG is discussed. But there is still room for improvement and this guidance can be made clearer and more succinct. Berkeley Group is co-chairing a new implementation board with DEFRA that brings together build and ecology leaders to identify actions needed to support industry progress.
3. Act early and be led by data
Considering BNG at the outset of a masterplan increases the likelihood of delivering it onsite, within budget and to a high standard. BNG doesn’t have to add costs to the development plan if it’s factored in early enough.
Collecting baseline data is really important too. Reliable data enables you to develop a strategy tailored to your specific site. Once you have that data it’s important to set objectives early regarding which habitats will be kept and improved, and the instances where new habitats will be required. It’s also important to build on early community engagement to consider how green spaces will be used by communities in the future. This is invaluable in securing long-term support from the community and making sure the proposed interventions are in harmony with the community’s needs.
4. Embed BNG at all levels
BNG should be viewed as more than a legal requirement; it’s a significant shift in how we maintain and view our landscapes. We have found that even our sales teams are vitally important for making BNG work for the long term. By educating them on the role of diverse planting and design features, they have been able to communicate the long-term vision and value to our customers and nearby communities. This doesn’t happen overnight. Adopting BNG was a big change for Berkeley, but it’s been worth it, and our people now love it and are proud to be doing good things for the environment.
5. We don’t have all the answers yet
Open mosaic habitats are a great example of a challenge that doesn’t currently have a clear solution. These habitats have been created on dirty and contaminated land and are very hard – if not impossible – to recreate. It’s showing us in real time that replacing habitats like-for-like isn’t always practical, and we need to find ways to be more flexible and pragmatic. Waiting for the perfect habitat unit or off-site solution, especially while the off-site register is still in its infancy, will lead to delays in housing delivery that we can’t afford. We must push for a solution to this and other barriers to unlocking complex brownfield sites for housing.
There are also questions around how to transfer knowledge between areas, given some councils are setting higher local BNG requirements. These stipulations are evidence of our planning system’s sometimes random and arbitrary qualities. We will always maintain a collaborative stance but councils should not see themselves in competition to set the toughest policy.
We’re still in the early days of BNG in a regulated environment and the potential impacts but overall, it’s been a hugely positive start. I’m also pleased the rest of the world is taking note. We’ve had engagements with countries such as China, the Netherlands and Saudi Arabia about adopting BNG and learning from our implementation. I’m optimistic that there is potential for global progress on biodiversity and healthier, greener places if we build on these learnings.
Jessica Lewis is group head of sustainable places at Berkeley Group
