Last updated:
8th August 2023
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Biodiversity net gain
See notes
With regards to your work around biodiversity net gain, please can you tell me
1. How much you are currently charging, or plan to charge, developers for offsite biodiversity units so that they can meet their biodiversity net gain requirements
We have been charging between £20,000 and £35,000 per unit on a general basis but it is likely that we will not be able to continue this approach once BNG becomes mandatory. Once BNG becomes mandatory the off-site delivery will be bespoke to the development and priced individually. It is likely that watercourse corridor units will be significantly more expensive than habitat area units, on average, but there will be variation within these unit categories which reflects the difficulty and risks for individual projects.
However the Council is aware that the this is a developing market and consequently we have not yet formally set a schedule of rates for BNG units.
2. What % of biodiversity net gain you are requiring, or expect to require, from developers
There is no % minimum BNG set out in our existing local planning policies. We are expecting to apply the mandatory 10% BNG from the point that regulations specify (likely November 2023). Our local plan update is in progress.
The emerging Local Plan Update is at a consultative stage and therefore the strategy and related policies have limited weight in decision-making. Policy NE1 of the Draft Local Plan (February 2020) proposed that developments achieve a minimum 10% net gain for biodiversity, either within the site boundary, as part of on-site compensation or off-site compensation towards a strategic habitat restoration network.
The Draft Local Plan is available to view and access on the council website: https://www.wokingham.gov.uk/_resources/assets/attachment/full/0/508528.pdf
Work is ongoing to consider whether a higher percentage of Biodiversity Net Gain can be sought and justified as part of the emerging local plan. This will be subject to further consultation with all interested parties, and examination in public. An updated programme for the local plan update is currently being prepared, and will be published in due course.
