Land Studio disappointed by Government's BNG delay to 2024

Land Studio is disappointed by the Government’s decision to delay new environmental building rules until January 2024.

It was revealed this week that the Government is delaying putting the new Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) laws into force this November until next year.

BNG was meant to become a mandatory part of the planning system in England in five weeks-time, forcing developers to agree to deliver a biodiversity gain on or off-site at a 10% minimum.

The BBC was told that it will now not be introduced this year and a new implementation date needed to be announced. The Wildlife Trusts called the delay ‘another hammer blow for nature’.

 The news comes in a month when Rishi Sunak has also rowed back on net zero commitments and ‘nutrient neutrality’ pollution rules.

Simon Richards, Managing Director of Chester based Land Studio, said: “We’re pleased that the Government has quickly clarified the new January deadline for Biodiversity Net Gain.

“Hopefully this extra time can be used wisely to ensure Biodiversity Net Gain can be assessed thoroughly.

“It’s an important piece of legislation because 50% of the UK economy is linked to nature. Unfortunately, the UK, is one of the most biodiversity depleted countries in the world, so restoring our natural environments is critical to building our future green economy.”

Val Gateley, Director of Ecology for Land Studio, said: “This delay is another blow to our struggling UK diversity and battle against climate change alongside the announcement of a push back on several net zero targets recently.

“At Land Studio we’re advocates of designing with nature in mind and our view is that the best approach is to still aim for at least 10% net gain in biodiversity as part of any upcoming development.

“As well as future proofing projects for when the requirements come into force, we feel designing in this way provides spaces that are not only beneficial for wildlife but also provides places where people can interact and connect with nature which can be enormously beneficial for our wellbeing.”

Biodiversity Net Gain policy was approved as part of the 2021 Environment Act and was designed to make sure that developers leave the natural environment in a measurably better state than it was before any development.