A multidisciplinary table of experts ranging from housebuilders to ecologists plus planning and delivery specialists, recently came together to discuss meaningfully building in nature. It concluded that Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) and nutrient neutrality can deliver real nature recovery, but only if government policy becomes more stable and the industry talks about these issues in terms customers and other stakeholders understand.
Mandatory 10% BNG is still a relatively new hurdle for developers already grappling with a range of other pressures from construction costs to geopolitical uncertainty. The government’s decision to replace standalone nutrient neutrality requirements with provisions incorporated into Environmental Delivery Plans (EDPs) is proving just as contentious. The repeated government consultations and proposed exemptions are creating uncertainty for developers, habitat-bank providers, farmers and landowners, and participants called for stability and clarity in both policy areas.
The group supported strategic solutions but argued that developer contributions should also help farmers adopt lower-pollution practices, including buffer strips, riparian protection, cover crops and changes to grazing or livestock systems. Farmers, participants stressed, should be seen as contributors to nature recovery, not simply sources of land.
The round table also asked how developers can build nature in holistically rather than being viewed as a set of costs on the route to compliance and whether EDP and BNG paperwork can be streamlined. It also built on research among housebuilders by Housebuilder & Developer which showed nearly three quarters (72%) of those questioned finding 10% BNG either ‘very’ or ‘somewhat difficult’ to achieve and also explored the challenges and opportunities of on-site versus off-site options.
Off-site BNG is becoming more accessible, the round table participants agreed, with a significant number of habitat banks coming online each week. Unit types, trading rules, spatial risk multipliers, delivery risk and long-term security remain complex, so the group considered what should guide the choice of a habitat bank beyond cost and location, and how offsetting can be done well. They considered whether a centralised, transparent database of off-site opportunities so developers and habitat-bank providers can see what is genuinely available would be effective.
Participants also asked whether nature-based markets are emerging and maturing to finance on-site strategies, such as conservation covenants, and how developers of all sizes can engage. They also agreed clearer evidence of habitat quality was necessary in order to achieve permanence beyond the 30-year minimum requirement period for Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG).
Overall, the round table participants called for consistent ecological assessments as well as stronger and earlier collaboration between ecologists and landscape architects developers, ecologists, landscape architects, engineers, suppliers and local authorities. This would, they agreed, head off design conflicts before they arise, cutting both delay and cost.
Helen Parton, journalist specialising in the built environment and roundtable chair added,
“The focus needs to be on what happens on the ground over the long term, whether habitats are well designed, properly managed and genuinely deliver for nature and communities. That means getting the right people around the table early and giving them the clarity to plan with confidence.”
The full list of attendees was as follows:
Rose Sandell, Group Communities Director, Taylor Wimpey
Laurence Cummins, Sustainability Manager (Biodiversity & Ecology), Wates
Joe Dance, Director – Strategic Ecologist, Savills
Thomas Ryan-McGann, Group Assistant Planning Manager, Vistry
Dan Massie, Development Director, The Hill Group
Ben Balmford, Lecturer, University of Exeter
Neil Beamsley, Group Head of Biodiversity, Bellway
Adam Ralph, Director, Field Works
Harry Reed, Senior BNG Nutrient Specialist, Biodiverse Consulting
Ben Kite, Chair of Strategic Policy Panel, CIEEM
Sponsors’ attendees:
Gareth Wright, Sales Director, Manthorpe Building Products
Robin Waddell, Development Director (UK), Greenbelt Group Ltd
David Mead, Founder and Planning Director, BNG Partnership
Emily Landsborough, Head of ESG, Ibstock Brick Ltd
A Building Insights podcast capturing highlights and recommendations from the discussion, will be available at: insights.netmagmedia.co.uk