BNG REPORTS · PLANNING EVIDENCE
Biodiversity Net Gain Report for Planning Applications
Clear, technically robust Biodiversity Net Gain reports that bring together habitat evidence, Statutory Biodiversity Metric results, mapping and proposed biodiversity measures for your planning project.
ACP Consultants can prepare a new BNG report, coordinate existing ecological information, or review a report and metric before submission.
What Is a Biodiversity Net Gain Report?
A Biodiversity Net Gain report brings together the technical evidence used to explain a development’s BNG position for planning.
It typically summarises the habitat baseline, Statutory Biodiversity Metric results, proposed habitat retention and enhancement, and any remaining biodiversity unit requirements. It can also reference supporting plans, mapping and long-term management measures where these are relevant.
A BNG report is not the same as the statutory Biodiversity Gain Plan. The report is a practical technical document used to present and coordinate the project’s BNG evidence. The Biodiversity Gain Plan is a separate statutory submission that is normally approved after planning permission and before development begins.
For more detail on that statutory stage, see our Biodiversity Gain Plan guidance.
BNG Report vs Biodiversity Gain Plan, Metric and HMMP
Biodiversity Net Gain Report
- Main purpose:
- Explains the project’s BNG position in a clear technical narrative for planning.
- Typical stage:
- Usually during planning or when responding to ecology queries.
- Relationship:
- Brings together the key evidence and explains the overall position.
Statutory Biodiversity Metric
- Main purpose:
- Calculates baseline, post-development and off-site biodiversity units.
- Typical stage:
- During assessment, design development and finalisation.
- Relationship:
- Provides the numerical evidence that supports the report.
Biodiversity Gain Plan
- Main purpose:
- Sets out how the development will meet the statutory biodiversity gain condition.
- Typical stage:
- Normally after planning permission and before development begins.
- Relationship:
- A separate statutory submission that may draw on the same technical evidence.
Habitat Management and Monitoring Plan
- Main purpose:
- Defines how relevant habitats will be created, managed, monitored and maintained.
- Typical stage:
- Where long-term habitat delivery needs to be secured.
- Relationship:
- Supports the delivery and monitoring commitments described in the wider BNG evidence.
In practice, the BNG report acts as the technical explanation of the project’s position. The Statutory Biodiversity Metric provides the calculations, while the Biodiversity Gain Plan deals with the statutory post-permission approval stage.
Where significant habitat creation or enhancement requires long-term management, the project may also need a Habitat Management and Monitoring Plan (HMMP).
When Do You Need a BNG Report for Planning?
A Biodiversity Net Gain report is useful when a planning project needs its BNG evidence presented clearly in one coordinated technical document.
The exact information required will depend on the development, its planning stage and the local planning authority. However, a well-structured report can help the project team understand the BNG position and address potential issues before submission.
New Planning Applications
Where mandatory BNG applies, planning applications must provide specified biodiversity information from the outset.
A BNG report can bring together the habitat baseline, relevant mapping, initial metric results and proposed approach to achieving Biodiversity Net Gain. It can also help planners, architects and ecologists work from the same evidence.
For a wider overview of application requirements, see our BNG planning validation checklist.
Revised Schemes and Updated BNG Evidence
Changes to a site layout, access route, landscape design or development footprint can alter the BNG calculation.
In these cases, the report and supporting metric may need updating so that the written conclusions, habitat plans and calculations remain consistent.
Responding to LPA Ecology or Validation Queries
A local planning authority may request clarification or further ecological information during the planning process.
ACP can review the points raised, update the relevant BNG evidence and provide a clear technical response. This can include revisions to the report, metric workbook or supporting habitat plans.
Reviewing an Existing BNG Report
You do not always need to start again.
If another consultant has already prepared a BNG report, habitat survey or metric calculation, ACP can review the existing information for consistency and identify gaps before further submission.
This can be particularly useful where the design has changed, the application has received ecology comments, or different consultants have prepared separate parts of the BNG evidence.
Check whether mandatory BNG applies to your project
Not every planning proposal is subject to mandatory Biodiversity Net Gain. For qualifying applications made on or after 6 August 2026, development on a site of 0.2 hectares or less may be exempt, provided it does not impact onsite priority habitat. The site area is measured within the planning red-line boundary. Other exemptions and transitional rules, including those affecting some section 73 permissions, can change the position.
Before commissioning reporting work, see our BNG exemptions and thresholds guide.
What Does a Biodiversity Net Gain Report Include?
A good BNG report should explain the development’s biodiversity position clearly and show how the supporting evidence fits together.
The exact content will vary by project. However, most reports should cover the following core elements.
Habitat Baseline and Mapping
First, the report should describe the habitats within the relevant site boundary and explain how the ecologist identified and mapped them.
This normally draws on habitat survey information, condition assessments and site plans. If the project needs further survey work, the report should identify it clearly.
Statutory Biodiversity Metric Results
Next, the report should summarise the key results from the Statutory Biodiversity Metric, including the baseline units and the post-development position.
It should also explain the main assumptions behind the calculation and identify any shortfall that the development site cannot accommodate.
Proposed Habitat Retention, Creation and Enhancement
It should also explain which habitats the scheme will retain and what new habitat creation or enhancement it proposes.
This helps connect the metric results with the actual development and landscape design rather than presenting the calculation in isolation.
On-Site and Off-Site BNG Position
If the scheme cannot deliver the required gain fully on site, the report should explain the remaining biodiversity unit requirement and the proposed approach to off-site delivery.
This may include registered off-site biodiversity units or, where appropriate, statutory biodiversity credits.
However, the report should only describe off-site delivery as secured when the necessary arrangements are in place.
Management, Monitoring and Securing Requirements
Where the project must secure long-term habitat delivery, the report should identify the relevant management and monitoring requirements.
A separate Habitat Management and Monitoring Plan (HMMP) may then set out the detailed management actions, monitoring programme, responsibilities and remedial measures.
Technical Conclusions and Planning Recommendations
Finally, the conclusion should bring the evidence together and explain the project’s current BNG position in plain terms.
It should identify any remaining actions, assumptions or information needed before the project team can treat the BNG evidence as complete.
That gives the wider project team a clear route forward and helps reduce inconsistencies between the report, metric workbook, habitat plans and supporting documents.
What You Receive From ACP
A coordinated evidence package, tailored to the agreed project scope. These components are not a mandatory submission sequence.
Our BNG reporting service is designed to give your planning team a clear, coordinated set of technical documents rather than disconnected pieces of ecological information.
Depending on the project scope, your package may include:
Biodiversity Net Gain Report
A clear technical report explaining the site baseline, proposed biodiversity measures, metric results and overall BNG position.
Statutory Biodiversity Metric Workbook
The completed metric calculation used to quantify baseline and post-development biodiversity units.
Where relevant, this will also identify any remaining off-site biodiversity unit requirement.
Habitat Mapping
Plans showing the habitats used within the assessment and the areas proposed for retention, creation or enhancement.
These help planners and project teams understand how the metric relates to the actual site layout.
Supporting BNG Documentation
Where required, ACP can coordinate or prepare supporting documents such as habitat schedules, management information and other evidence needed to support the wider BNG submission.
Technical Review and Submission Support
We can review the completed evidence for consistency before issue and help respond to reasonable BNG-related queries from the project team or local planning authority.
Already have some of the BNG work completed?
Send us your existing survey, habitat plan, metric workbook or draft report. We can review what is already available and advise what still needs to be completed before further submission.
How ACP Prepares Your BNG Report
Our process is designed to keep the technical evidence, metric calculations and planning documents aligned from the outset.
Review Your Project and Existing Evidence
We first review the development proposals, planning stage and any ecological information already available.
This may include habitat surveys, site plans, landscape proposals, metric workbooks, planning comments and previous BNG reports.
Where information is missing, we identify what is needed before progressing.
Coordinate and QA the BNG Evidence
We then check that the habitat information, mapping and metric calculations are consistent with the proposed development.
Where necessary, we update calculations, clarify assumptions and identify any remaining biodiversity unit requirement.
This stage helps reduce conflicts between drawings, habitat data and written conclusions.
Prepare and Issue the Planning-Ready Report
Once the evidence is coordinated, we prepare the BNG report in a clear format for the project team and planning process.
The final report explains the project’s current BNG position, highlights any outstanding actions and references the supporting documents needed for the next stage.
Where required, ACP can also support updates following design changes or queries from the local planning authority.
What Information Do We Need From You?
The more complete the project information is at the start, the easier it is to prepare a coordinated and accurate BNG report.
Depending on the project stage, we may ask for:
- the site or red-line boundary plan;
- proposed layout and planning drawings;
- landscape plans, where available;
- existing habitat or ecological survey information;
- habitat condition assessment data;
- any existing Statutory Biodiversity Metric workbook;
- previous BNG reports or ecology statements;
- the planning application reference, if already submitted;
- local planning authority ecology comments or validation queries;
- details of any proposed off-site biodiversity units.
You can start with the documents you have. We will identify material evidence gaps and agree the reporting scope before further work begins.
BNG Report vs Biodiversity Gain Plan
A BNG report explains the habitat evidence, metric results, proposed measures and outstanding actions for the planning stage. It helps the project team and planning authority review a coordinated technical position.
A Biodiversity Gain Plan serves a different purpose. Where the statutory biodiversity gain condition applies, the plan must be approved after planning permission and before development begins. A technical report does not replace that approval.
As a project progresses, ACP can help carry consistent habitat plans, metric calculations and delivery commitments from the BNG report into the Biodiversity Gain Plan.
How the BNG Report Links to the HMMP
The BNG report explains what the project proposes and the resulting biodiversity position. The Habitat Management and Monitoring Plan (HMMP) explains how relevant habitats will be established, managed, monitored and maintained.
Where significant on-site enhancements form part of a development requiring planning permission, government guidance normally expects a draft HMMP with the planning application and an HMMP with the later Biodiversity Gain Plan. Off-site gains also need appropriate long-term management and monitoring arrangements. The plans must agree with habitat areas, target conditions and the Statutory Biodiversity Metric.
An HMMP may set out management actions, target conditions, responsibilities, monitoring frequency, reporting and remedial measures. See our Habitat Management and Monitoring Plan service for the detailed delivery requirements.
BNG Report Timescales and Costs
ACP can usually prepare a Biodiversity Net Gain report within 5–10 working days once we have the required habitat information, drawings and project details.
The programme may be longer if new ecological survey work, revised drawings or additional technical assessments are required.
How Much Does a BNG Report Cost?
Our professional fees start from £399 + VAT for straightforward projects where suitable baseline information is already available.
The final cost depends on the scope of work required, including:
- site size and habitat complexity;
- quality and completeness of existing survey information;
- whether the Statutory Biodiversity Metric needs preparing or updating;
- changes to the proposed development or landscape design;
- additional habitat or condition assessments;
- watercourses requiring specialist assessment;
- whether off-site biodiversity units need to be considered;
- the number of development phases or parcels;
- whether an existing BNG report needs review rather than full preparation.
We will review the available project information before confirming the scope and fee.
Need a scoped BNG report quotation?
Tell us your site location and planning stage. If you already have survey findings, a metric workbook, plans or ecology comments, we can review what is available before agreeing the next steps and fee.
Why Choose ACP for Your BNG Report?
A BNG report is most useful when the ecology, metric calculations, mapping and planning strategy all tell the same story.
ACP focuses on producing clear, coordinated technical evidence that can be understood by the wider project team as well as ecology and planning reviewers.
Planning-Focused Technical Reporting
We prepare reports around the actual planning stage and project requirements rather than using a generic template.
This helps keep the report relevant to the application, design and outstanding BNG actions.
Coordinated Ecology and Metric Evidence
We check that the habitat information, plans and Statutory Biodiversity Metric results are consistent with one another.
Where gaps or conflicts are identified, we highlight them before the report is issued.
Clear Reports for Project Teams and LPAs
Technical accuracy matters, but the conclusions also need to be easy to follow.
We structure reports so planners, architects, developers and ecological reviewers can understand the BNG position without having to interpret the metric workbook alone.
Support as the Project Develops
BNG evidence may need updating when layouts, landscape proposals or planning requirements change.
ACP can review revisions, update the technical evidence and help respond to BNG-related queries as the project progresses.
Already working with several consultants?
ACP can review and coordinate existing survey, metric and planning information so the final BNG report presents one consistent technical position.
Biodiversity Net Gain Reports Across England
ACP supports development projects across England with Biodiversity Net Gain reporting, metric coordination and related planning evidence.
We work with developers, architects, planning consultants and landowners on projects ranging from straightforward sites to more complex schemes involving multiple habitats, revised layouts or off-site biodiversity requirements.
Because BNG requirements can vary with the project, planning stage and local authority, we tailor the reporting approach to the evidence actually needed.
For regional coverage and local BNG services, see our Biodiversity Net Gain locations page.
Frequently Asked Questions About BNG Reports
Below are answers to common questions about Biodiversity Net Gain reports, planning submissions and supporting BNG documents.
Is a BNG Report the Same as a Biodiversity Gain Plan?
No. A BNG report is a technical document that can explain the project’s biodiversity baseline, metric calculations, proposed habitat measures and overall BNG position.
The statutory Biodiversity Gain Plan is different. Where mandatory BNG applies, it is submitted after planning permission and must demonstrate how the development will achieve the required gain.
Is a BNG Report Legally Required With Every Planning Application?
No. There is no universal statutory requirement for every planning application to include a document specifically called a “Biodiversity Net Gain Report”.
However, where mandatory BNG applies, specified biodiversity information must be provided through the planning process. A technical BNG report can provide a clear way to coordinate and explain that evidence.
Some developments are also exempt from mandatory BNG.
What Information Should a BNG Report Contain?
The content depends on the project, but a report will commonly include:
- the existing habitat baseline;
- habitat mapping and condition information;
- Statutory Biodiversity Metric results;
- proposed habitat retention, creation and enhancement;
- the anticipated post-development BNG position;
- any required off-site biodiversity units;
- management and monitoring considerations;
- outstanding actions or assumptions.
The report should remain consistent with the metric workbook, drawings and other supporting documents.
Do I Need BNG if My Site Is 0.2 Hectares or Less?
For qualifying planning applications made on or after 6 August 2026, mandatory BNG does not apply where the development site is 0.2 hectares or less, provided the development does not impact onsite priority habitat.
Other exemptions and transitional rules can also affect whether mandatory BNG applies.
See our BNG exemptions and thresholds guide.
How Much Does a Biodiversity Net Gain Report Cost?
ACP’s fees currently start from £399 + VAT for straightforward projects where suitable baseline information is already available.
The final fee depends on factors such as site complexity, existing survey information, metric work, mapping requirements and whether additional ecological assessment is required.
How Long Does a BNG Report Take?
Straightforward reports can usually be prepared within 5–10 working days once the necessary project information is available.
More complex schemes may take longer, particularly where surveys, revised designs or additional metric work are required.
Can ACP Review an Existing BNG Report and Metric?
Yes.
If another consultant has already prepared a report, habitat survey or metric workbook, ACP can review the available evidence and identify inconsistencies, missing information or updates required before further submission.
This can avoid unnecessary duplication where suitable work has already been completed.
What Happens if 10% BNG Cannot Be Achieved on Site?
Where mandatory BNG applies, the strategy may combine on-site gains, registered off-site biodiversity gains and, when the statutory conditions are met, biodiversity credits. The relevant biodiversity gain hierarchy depends partly on the application date and development type.
For non-major applications made on or after 6 August 2026, current guidance places on-site enhancement, on-site creation and registered off-site gains at the same level of preference. Statutory credits remain the final option. Earlier permissions and certain section 73 cases can follow different rules.
A BNG report should explain the proposed route without describing off-site units or credits as secured until the necessary arrangements are in place. For delivery and approval requirements, see our Biodiversity Gain Plan guidance.
Does Every BNG Project Need an HMMP?
Not necessarily.
An HMMP is particularly relevant where significant on-site habitat enhancements or off-site biodiversity gains require long-term management and monitoring.
Where those habitats contribute to mandatory BNG, relevant habitat creation or enhancement may need to be maintained for at least 30 years.
For more information, see our Habitat Management and Monitoring Plan guidance.
Important Planning and BNG Information
Biodiversity Net Gain requirements depend on the development type, application date, planning stage, site conditions, statutory exemptions and local planning authority requirements.
The information on this page provides general technical guidance and does not replace project-specific ecological, planning or legal advice.
Statutory guidance, Biodiversity Net Gain tools and local requirements can change. ACP Consultants will confirm the appropriate scope of work using the current project information and requirements available at the time of instruction.
Where there is any conflict between this page and current legislation or official government guidance, the current statutory requirements and official guidance take precedence.
Disclaimer date:
Official Biodiversity Net Gain Guidance and References
The following official sources provide the main statutory guidance, tools and supporting information relevant to Biodiversity Net Gain reporting in England.
Biodiversity Net Gain – Planning Practice Guidance
Government planning guidance covering how Biodiversity Net Gain operates through the planning process, including application-stage information, determination and the Biodiversity Gain Plan.
Biodiversity Gain Plan
Official Defra guidance and templates for the statutory Biodiversity Gain Plan.
Statutory Biodiversity Metric Tools and Guides
The current Defra calculation tools, user guides and habitat condition assessment resources.
Habitat Management and Monitoring Plan Guidance
Official guidance explaining what should be included within an HMMP and how long-term habitat management and monitoring should be planned.
Biodiversity Net Gain Guidance Collection
Central GOV.UK collection covering developers, land managers, planning authorities, off-site gains, legal agreements and statutory credits.
Schedule 7A – Town and Country Planning Act 1990
Principal statutory framework for mandatory Biodiversity Net Gain for relevant planning permissions in England.
Related Biodiversity Net Gain Guidance
Need a Biodiversity Net Gain Report for Your Project?
ACP can prepare a BNG report, review existing technical evidence or help coordinate habitat plans and statutory metric information for your planning stage.
Use the short form below to tell us about the site and your project. You can also send existing drawings, survey reports, metric workbooks or planning comments by email so we can advise on the scope.
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