See answers to previous information requests

Please find below some questions about how the council is implementing Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG):

1. Please can you indicate what, if any, software the council has obtained specifically to help with implementing the following aspects of BNG?
a) Validation of applications, including checking that the correct version of the Biodiversity Metric has been submitted.
b) Determination of applications subject to BNG, including assessment of ecological considerations.
c) Determining if the biodiversity gain objective (biodiversity gain condition) is met.
d) Monitoring of planning obligations set out under S106 agreements or Conservation Covenants, analogous to other planning obligations.
e) Ecological monitoring of BNG habitats, a new statutory duty required by legislation, including ensuring that individual habitats on a given site are progressing in line with expectations set out in the Habitat Management and Monitoring Plan.
f) Statutory reporting of BNG habitat progress under the NERC Act Biodiversity Duty.
The only specialist software the council has brought in connection with BNG is the Exacom BNG module.

2. Is the council generating income, or planning to generate income, by charging BNG monitoring fees? If so, how are you calculating this fee?
We are planning to generate an income to cover the costs of BNG monitoring calculated as below.
For all applications that are subject to the mandatory biodiversity net gain requirements the council will require a financial contribution to cover the cost of monitoring those obligations. It is estimated that each hectare of BNG habitat will take circa 10hrs of ecologist’s time to assess and respond to monitoring reports submitted for approval to the planning authority, and this is likely to be required 9 times over the 30 years (including assessing the initial Biodiversity Gain Plan). The hourly rate of a Grade 9 ecologists with on costs and internal recharges is £40/hr, and hence the contribution will be based upon the following formula.
£40 x 10hrs x 9 occasion = £3,600 for up to 1ha
£40 x 10hrs x 9 occasion = £3,600 for each additional hectare pro rata.

3. Please answer the questions below to indicate if the council has made use of the government’s new burdens funding for BNG in the financial year 23/24:
a) How much of the funding was spent by the council in this year: £26,807
b) What was the funding spent on?
External training courses for staff: £1210.00
Breakdown:
• 2 x UK Habs half day online sessions;
• 2 x Freeths one day legal online course
• 2 x CIEEM Defra metric courses
Staff time for external courses / webinars (50hrs): £2838.80
Breakdown:
• Above courses plus
• 2 x Berkshire LA ecologist workshop (full day)
• 2 x Stat metric and regulations workshop (6hrs)
• 2 x CIEEM Defra metric webinar (2 hrs)
• 16 x PAS BNG practioners meetings (2.5hrs)
Internal training and monitoring configuration prep (38.5hrs): £3680.53
Breakdown:
• Prep for internal training (6hrs)
• 1 x Committee training (3hrs)
• 17 x Internal planning training (3hrs)
• 9 x Legal team workshop (half day)
• 20 x Monitoring and recording meetings (2.5hrs)
4 months (Nov-Mar) ecology specialist staff costs @ £57,233.00 per annum including oncosts: £19,077.67

4. Please answer the questions below to indicate if the council has made use of the government’s new burdens funding for BNG in the financial year 24/25:
a) How much of the funding was spent by the council in this year: Not yet claimed but anticipated to spend the full amount of £26,807.
b) What was the funding spent on: Not yet claimed but anticipated to mainly be on staff costs.