BIODIVERSITY GAIN PLAN · ENGLAND
Biodiversity Gain Plans for planning approval
Bring your permission, biodiversity calculations and habitat commitments together in one coordinated submission.
ACP Consultants prepares and reviews Biodiversity Gain Plans for developers, architects and planning teams. We identify gaps in the evidence and help you address the biodiversity gain condition before work starts.
Discuss your Gain Plan
The key checkpoint Where the biodiversity gain condition applies, the authority must approve the Gain Plan before development begins.
FROM PERMISSION TO DELIVERY
What is a Biodiversity Gain Plan?
A Biodiversity Gain Plan (BGP) explains how a development will meet its statutory Biodiversity Net Gain requirements. It records the final biodiversity position and the evidence the planning authority needs to assess it.
For development subject to mandatory BNG, the objective is normally at least a 10% increase in biodiversity value. The plan connects the approved development with the habitats, management and any off-site gains that will deliver that objective.
Application
Establish the habitat baseline and planning-stage BNG strategy.
Permission
Review the decision, approved plans and relevant conditions.
Gain Plan
Finalise and submit the coordinated plan and supporting evidence.
Approval
The authority determines the plan. Submission alone is insufficient.
Commencement
Start only when this and other relevant requirements are satisfied.
The earliest formal submission is normally the day after permission is granted. The authority usually has eight weeks to determine the plan, unless a longer period is agreed. This is not an automatic approval or a guaranteed project programme.
Plan early; submit at the right stage
The final BGP is distinct from the biodiversity information required with the planning application. Early work should establish the baseline, test the proposed habitat strategy and identify deliverability issues. A draft Gain Plan may help those discussions, but it does not replace formal post-permission approval.
Allow time for survey gaps, design revisions, legal arrangements and off-site allocation. Our BNG process guide explains the wider sequence.
ONE CONSISTENT SUBMISSION
What your Gain Plan brings together
A completed form is only part of the package. Its statements need to agree with the metric workbook, approved drawings, habitat proposals and delivery arrangements. The required evidence depends on your permission and the way the gain will be achieved.
The Biodiversity Gain Plan
A clear account of the development, biodiversity outcome and how that outcome is secured.
- Permission & baseline
- The permission reference, approved development, plan preparer and submitter, relevant baseline date, habitat survey and any required degradation assessment.
- Metric & maps
- The completed statutory metric, pre- and post-development habitat plans with scale and north point, and matching habitat identifiers.
- Habitat delivery
- Retained, enhanced and created habitats, realistic target conditions, responsibilities and long-term management where required.
- External gains
- Registered off-site allocation references and evidence, or statutory credit purchase evidence where the permitted route requires it.
Explain the biodiversity outcome
The plan should explain the relevant biodiversity gain hierarchy, the pre-development value and the proposed post-development value. It should identify how any shortfall is addressed and how the information can be checked.
Irreplaceable habitats have bespoke arrangements. They cannot simply be treated as an ordinary metric shortfall to be offset. Compensation and any degradation issues require specific review.
Use the right supporting documents
Use the current government Gain Plan template and check the authority’s submission requirements. Record the metric tool version and ensure all documents refer to the same scheme.
Our BNG templates guide explains the roles of the available templates. A template organises information; it does not establish the ecological evidence.
DOCUMENTS WITH DIFFERENT JOBS
Gain Plan, metric, report or HMMP?
These documents support one another. A metric workbook or ecology report alone does not replace the formal Gain Plan.
| Document | Its purpose |
|---|---|
| Biodiversity Gain Plan | Sets out how the permission will meet the biodiversity gain condition and brings the final evidence together for approval. |
| Statutory Biodiversity Metric | Calculates biodiversity units, gains and shortfalls using the habitat inputs and applicable rules. |
| BNG report | Explains the assessment, habitat evidence, assumptions and strategy. Its scope depends on the planning stage. |
| Habitat Management and Monitoring Plan | Describes how habitats will be established, managed, monitored and corrected over the agreed period. |
PREPARATION & TECHNICAL REVIEW
How ACP prepares your Biodiversity Gain Plan
We agree the work around your planning stage and the evidence already available. We can prepare a new plan or review an existing package, with surveys, calculations and supporting documents included where agreed.
Review the permission
Check the decision notice, approved drawings, conditions, planning history and existing BNG information.
Check the baseline
Review habitat mapping, survey evidence, condition data and the metric inputs. Identify missing or inconsistent information.
Test the habitat strategy
Check the proposed onsite measures, biodiversity result and any need for registered off-site gains.
Confirm delivery arrangements
Coordinate management, monitoring, responsibilities and the evidence needed to secure the relevant habitats.
Prepare the plan
Bring the final biodiversity position and agreed supporting documents into a clear submission package.
Check and support
Cross-check the documents before issue and support technical queries from the authority within the agreed scope.
What you receive
The agreed service can include the completed BGP, an evidence schedule, consistency checks, identified assumptions and outstanding actions. Metric updates, habitat plans and an HMMP can be coordinated where they form part of the commission.
What we agree at the outset
We confirm who will submit the plan, which revisions and authority queries are included, and any separate survey, legal or off-site unit requirements. The authority retains responsibility for approval.
Already have a permission and BNG documents? We can review what is ready and identify what is still needed for the Gain Plan.
Request a scope reviewBEFORE SUBMISSION
Five checks that keep the evidence aligned
One approved scheme
Confirm the same red-line boundary, layout and drawing revisions appear throughout the submission.
Traceable habitat figures
Reconcile habitat areas and lengths between the survey, plans and metric. Explain the baseline date and assumptions.
Deliverable proposals
Check habitat types, target conditions and management against access, drainage, utilities and the landscape design.
Complete securing evidence
Check the required management arrangements, legal mechanisms, registered off-site allocation or credit evidence.
A coherent final package
Resolve conflicting versions, missing references and unanswered authority requirements before issue.
DELIVERY BEYOND THE DOCUMENT
Management, off-site gains and phasing
Secure the habitat commitments
Significant onsite habitat enhancements normally need to be secured for at least 30 years after completion of the development. The appropriate mechanism may be a planning condition, planning obligation or conservation covenant.
The management evidence should identify what will be done, who is responsible, when monitoring will occur and how failures will be addressed. A separate HMMP provides the practical detail; our monitoring framework guide explains the reporting role.
Evidence the off-site contribution
Where registered off-site gains are used, the plan needs evidence that the relevant gains are registered and allocated to the development. A quotation or an intention to buy units is not the same as an allocation.
Off-site gains need a section 106 planning obligation or conservation covenant lasting at least 30 years from completion of the habitat enhancement works. Check that the legal agreement, register allocation and metric refer to the same habitats and units.
Statutory biodiversity credits are distinct from private off-site units. If credits are required, the plan needs the appropriate purchase evidence. Check habitat trading rules and the applicable hierarchy before committing to a route.
Coordinate phased development
Phased permissions use an Overall Biodiversity Gain Plan and Phase Biodiversity Gain Plans. The authority must approve the overall plan before any development begins, and approve each phase plan before that phase starts. The gain objective applies to the development as a whole; each phase does not necessarily need to achieve 10% independently.
Keep the whole-site baseline, phase boundaries, habitat delivery and allocation of gains consistent. A new phase does not provide a fresh baseline that ignores earlier impacts. Check the specific permission and modified requirements before submission.
Review changes after approval
Changes to the layout, habitats, management or off-site arrangements may affect an approved BGP. Review the effect on the plan, permission, conditions and legal agreements before implementation. There is no general mechanism to amend an approved Gain Plan. Where the approach changes after approval but before commencement, a new plan can be submitted for approval. Section 73 permissions and transitional cases need project-specific advice.
A CLEAR STARTING POINT
Information, fees and programme
Send what you already have. You do not need a complete package before asking us to review the scope.
- Planning: site address, permission reference, decision notice, conditions and approved drawings.
- Biodiversity: habitat surveys, metric workbook, BNG report, habitat plans and previous authority comments.
- Delivery: management proposals, legal arrangements, off-site information, phasing and target dates.
We quote against the evidence
The fee depends on the complexity of the permission, the quality of existing information and the amount of preparation or revision required. We confirm the scope and quotation after reviewing your documents.
Surveys, metric changes, HMMP preparation, legal work, unit purchases and additional revisions can affect cost and programme. Our preparation period is separate from the authority’s determination period.
If a site start is approaching, tell us the date and any outstanding conditions at the outset. We can identify dependencies without promising an approval date.
COMMON QUESTIONS
Biodiversity Gain Plan questions
Do I need a Biodiversity Gain Plan for every development?
No. The statutory plan is required where the biodiversity gain condition applies. Exemptions, application dates and transitional arrangements matter. Other ecological or planning requirements can still apply to exempt schemes. Check the permission and current guidance for the individual project.
Can I submit the plan before planning permission?
You can develop a draft and discuss the strategy during the application. Formal submission for approval normally starts no earlier than the day after permission is granted. Prepare the evidence early so the final package reflects the approved scheme.
Is an approved metric calculation enough to start work?
No. Where the biodiversity gain condition applies, the authority must approve the Gain Plan before commencement. The metric is supporting evidence. Other pre-commencement conditions and consents must also be addressed.
Can ACP review a plan prepared by someone else?
Yes. We can review an existing BGP and its supporting evidence within an agreed scope. Send the editable metric, relevant plans, survey information, permission and authority comments. We will identify what can be relied on and where further information or revision is needed.
Can all the biodiversity gain be delivered off site?
The answer depends on the permission, habitats, applicable hierarchy and metric rules. The revised hierarchy for qualifying non-major applications differs from the major-development route. Off-site gains need the appropriate registration and allocation evidence; they do not remove other ecological duties.
Does the government template guarantee acceptance?
No. The template provides a structure, but the authority still needs accurate, consistent evidence and satisfaction of the relevant approval criteria. Our BNG user guide explains the documents and responsibilities in context.
What if the authority asks for more information?
Review the query against the submitted documents and agree the response scope. A correction to one habitat figure may affect the metric, plans and management evidence together. We can support technical responses, with any additional work agreed before it proceeds.
YOUR NEXT STEP
Let’s scope your Gain Plan
Fill in this quick form with your site, planning stage and the information already available. Our team will reply as soon as possible, usually within a few working hours.
You can email supporting plans and workbooks when we discuss the project.
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OFFICIAL SOURCES
Gain Plan guidance and templates
- GOV.UK: submitting a Biodiversity Gain Plan
- Defra: current Biodiversity Gain Plan template
- Planning practice guidance: BNG, approval and phasing
- GOV.UK: BNG exemptions and application dates
- GOV.UK: securing biodiversity gains
Disclaimer date:
This page concerns the town and country planning BNG framework in England. Requirements depend on the application date, permission, development and habitats. Phased schemes, section 73 permissions and irreplaceable habitats need specific review.
This is general guidance. Obtain advice for your project before relying on a calculation or starting development. The planning authority retains responsibility for determining the gain plan and relevant approvals.