biodiversity net gain

Please provide figures from 12 February 2024, when mandatory BNG began, to 31 March 2024, for the financial years 2024/25 and 2025/26, and for 2026/27 up to 30 September 2026.

Planning permissions and biodiversity gain plans
- Number of planning permissions granted subject to the biodiversity gain condition per year, split between major and minor development where recorded.
- Number of biodiversity gain plans submitted and approved per year.
- Number of residential applications among these, and the total number of homes they cover, if recorded.
- Number of applications assessed as exempt from mandatory BNG per year, with the exemption applied where recorded.

How gains are delivered
- Number of approved biodiversity gain plans delivering gains onsite only, offsite only, or through a combination of the two.
- Number of approved plans that used statutory biodiversity credits.
- Total biodiversity units secured onsite, offsite and through statutory credits per year, if held.
- The number of approved plans proposing a gain of 10% exactly, between 10% and 20%, and more than 20%, if recorded.

Onsite habitats
- The main habitat types created or enhanced on development sites through approved plans, such as grassland, woodland, hedgerows, wetland or watercourses.
- Total area of habitat created or enhanced on development sites, in hectares, if held.

Monitoring and enforcement
- Number of legal agreements (section 106 agreements or conservation covenants) secured to maintain onsite habitat for 30 years.
- Total BNG monitoring fees received per year.
- Number of monitoring reports received from developers or landowners.
- Number of cases where habitat was found to be failing or not delivered as planned, and any enforcement action taken.

Resources
Number of ecologists or BNG officers employed by the council (full-time equivalent), and whether the council uses external ecological advice to assess BNG.

Format request:
Please provide the data in Excel or CSV format, with one row per financial year. Where the council’s biodiversity report or other published documents already contain this information, a link is acceptable for those parts. Information about registered offsite gain sites is not required, as this is available on the biodiversity gain sites register. Where information is not recorded, please state “not recorded” rather than leaving the field blank.

If any part of this request would place an unreasonable burden on the council, please advise which parts can be answered, as the duty to provide advice and assistance requires. If any information is withheld, please release the remainder and cite the  Please see attached.