Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) - further change

Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) - further change reviews how the statutory BNG regime continues to evolve and how approaches differ among local authorities. Mark Iveson of JMW revisits the framework more than a year after his previous column, noting that the major-sites regime began in February 2024 and that his earlier article was published on 16 June 2025. He says increasing numbers of schemes are implementing higher-quality enhancements on-site and that he has influenced local authority legal drafting of BNG provisions. However, he highlights inconsistencies in how BNG is controlled and secured, often depending on the number of BNG units involved, with “no one size fits all” for future safeguarding. Iveson clarifies terminology for “off-site” BNG as delivery outside the red line planning application boundary, even if the land is owned or controlled by the applicant. He also describes the typical hierarchy of BNG options, including on-site, off-site via third parties, and government credits, while mentioning that stakeholders are using creative strategies to achieve large enhancements off-site.