Further Guidance and Tools

National and Local Validation Requirements

When submitting an application, on or after the mandatory ‘go live’ dates, applicants are advised to review the Council’s latest Validation Checklist, which sets out the minimum information that is required for an application to be accepted; and for planning officers to be able to assess the BNG proposals as part of the application.

Although some information relating to the final scheme may only be required to be submitted as part of the discharge of the general biodiversity gain condition, the Planning Practice Guidance (PPG) make it clear that the council needs to be confident that the Biodiversity Gain Objective is able to be met prior to determining the application.

Defra Guidance and National Planning Practice Guidance (NPPG)

General Guidance

• National Planning Practice Guidance (NPPG): Biodiversity Net Gain
• DEFRA: Understanding biodiversity net gain
• DEFRA: Biodiversity net gain: Information you need for biodiversity net gain (BNG).

Statutory Biodiversity Metric & Small Sites Metric (SSM)

• DEFRA: Calculate biodiversity using the biodiversity metric
• DEFRA: Statutory biodiversity metric tools and guides
• DEFRA: Guidance on Irreplaceable Habitats

 On-site, Off-site Provision and Biodiversity Gain Plan

• DEFRA: Make on-site biodiversity gains as a developer
• DEFRA: Make off-site biodiversity gains as a developer
• DEFRA: Record allocation of off-site biodiversity gains to a development
• DEFRA: Record allocation of off-site biodiversity gains form
• DEFRA: Register a biodiversity gain site
• DEFRA: Register a biodiversity site and allocate to a development
• DEFRA: Biodiversity gain plan
• DEFRA: Submit a biodiversity gain plan

Biodiversity Gains Sites Register

• DEFRA: Biodiversity gain sites register: terms and conditions
• DEFRA: Using the biodiversity gain sites register: terms and conditions
• DEFRA: Search the biodiversity gain sites register

Statutory Biodiversity Credits

• DEFRA: Statutory biodiversity credits
• DEFRA: Statutory biodiversity credit prices
• DEFRA: Estimate the cost of statutory biodiversity credits
• DEFRA: Statutory biodiversity credits: terms and conditions

 Land Manager Guidance 

• DEFRA: Land manager guidance
• DEFRA: Meet your BNG requirements: steps to take for land managers
• DEFRA: Sell biodiversity units as a land manager
• DEFRA: Combining Environmental Payments: Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) and nutrient mitigation  

Habitat Management and Monitoring Plan / Legal Agreements

• DEFRA: Creating a habitat management and monitoring plan for biodiversity net gain 
• DEFRA: Legal agreements to secure your biodiversity net gain
• DEFRA: Submit a biodiversity gain plan

Kent Guidance

Kent County Council (KCC) has produced Interim Strategic Significance Guidance (January 2024), which should be used when completing the strategic significance multiplier in the statutory biodiversity metric.  This guidance will be replaced by the Local Nature Recovery Strategy (LNRS) which is due for completion 2025.  KCC has also produced a BNG site register which identifies potential, off site delivery sites; and biodiversity units.  Both can be found on the Making Space for Nature website