Businesses gather in Exeter for Environment Bank’s Biodiversity Net Gain Breakfast

Businesses met in Exeter yesterday to hear how Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) policy mandating the protection and enhancement of nature will impact development in Exeter. 

Corporates, developers, planners, local authority representatives, ecologists and environmental consultants met at a BNG breakfast event hosted by Environment Bank, to discuss the planning, ecology, and legal aspects of the BNG policy and to showcase its Puddington Habitat Bank which is already generating off-site Biodiversity Units and unlocking development projects nearby.

The BNG legislation took effect in February 2024 and requires all building developers to not only replace lost biodiversity at the development site, but also to deliver a minimum 10% uplift in nature. At the event, Environment Bank and expert speakers provided essential clarity on how regulations and exemptions apply to different kinds of development, as well how the long-term liabilities and planning practicalities involved in securing and delivering BNG over 30 years.

Held in partnership with Gresham House and WSP, the event provided in-depth insights on the BNG legal framework, providing clarity on how regulations and exemptions apply to different kinds of development from a planning and ecology aspect. The expert speakers provided an overview of BNG, its requirements, and set out the most effective strategies for delivering BNG across the region.

Ruth Murray, Investment Director, Sustainable Infrastructure at Gresham House, said:

“It was great to be a part of the BNG Breakfast in Exeter, talking about the financial backing behind Environment Bank provided by Gresham House which in turn delivers financial security and risk mitigation to landowners and developers alike. It feels special to be back in this location, where it all started for Environment Bank, showcasing the first BNG site to launch in its national network, one that’s right here in Devon.”

More than 50 people attended the event which gave local businesses in-depth insights and guidance on BNG policy, including its impact, opportunities, legal and planning requirements, and the most effective strategies for delivering BNG across the region.

Known as a ‘Habitat Bank’, the restoration project is designed and monitored by Environment Bank’s ecologists for 30 years. The ecologists measure the uplift in biodiversity using scientific methods and then sell that uplift to developers in the form of ‘Biodiversity Units’ so that they meet the new law and gain planning permission.

Puddington Habitat Bank recently entered into a section 106 (s106) agreement, ready to provide local off-site Biodiversity Units for the Mid Devon District. With this latest s106 in place, the Habitat Bank has been successfully added to Natural England’s biodiversity gain sites register.

Environment Bank now have four live sites across the South West, with five new Habitat Banks in the pipeline, offering local off-site Biodiversity Units to developers and planners in the region.

What is BNG policy?

Developers are required by law under the Environment Act 2021 to ensure that all significant developments deliver a minimum 10% net increase in biodiversity, and they can do so by purchasing Biodiversity Units from Habitat Banks created off-site.

Environment Bank enables the delivery of this legislation by providing developers with Biodiversity Units from its dedicated BNG Habitat Banks, which are funded by them in advance for the full 30 years.

BNG not only contributes to national biodiversity objectives but also offers landowners a way to diversify their income streams, enhance their natural landscapes, and build business resilience for their farms.