Kent planning and nature recovery

Biodiversity Net Gain in Kent

Name: ACP Consultants Ltd.
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Plan biodiversity net gain in Kent around the authority deciding your application, the habitats on your land and the evidence needed to deliver lasting gains.

ACP Consultants supports developers, landowners and planning teams with habitat surveys, biodiversity calculations and planning documentation. From Thames-side regeneration to rural allocations, the right approach starts with a defensible baseline and an achievable habitat design.

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Current requirements

Does your Kent development need BNG?

Qualifying development must normally deliver at least 10% biodiversity net gain. Significant on-site gains and registered off-site gains require at least 30 years of secured management. However, application dates, exemptions and local policy all matter. A development description or postcode alone cannot establish the requirement.

Applications from 6 August 2026

The national rules now include an exemption for sites of 0.2 hectares or below, subject to the priority-habitat exclusion. A separate exemption covers wholly temporary development permitted for five years or less. Both exemptions exclude development that impacts on-site priority habitat. Self-build and custom-build applications no longer have a standalone exemption for new applications from that date. Check the current exemptions and transitional rules, particularly when varying an earlier permission.

Design the right delivery route

The amended hierarchy allows qualifying minor development to consider off-site provision from the outset. Larger schemes require the applicable hierarchy to be addressed. Habitat protection, species surveys and site-specific planning obligations still need separate attention. The Defra amendment notice explains the change.

For a non-exempt permission, the Biodiversity Gain Plan must be approved before development begins. Early application evidence must nevertheless show a credible delivery approach. Read the national planning guidance and current National Planning Policy Framework alongside the council checklist.

Check the statutory metric tools and guidance before starting calculations. The 3 November 2026 release includes tool version 1.1.0 and clarified spatial-risk guidance for watercourse units where a development spans multiple waterbody catchments. Defra permits earlier statutory versions too. Record the version used and apply the relevant guidance; do not assume that an older non-statutory metric is acceptable.

Local policy and validation

Which Kent authority and policy apply?

Kent has twelve district, borough or city councils, with Medway separately administered. Use the site boundary and development type to identify the correct authority. A National Landscape designation is an additional planning consideration, not a substitute application address.

The government’s July 2026 reorganisation decision was withdrawn on 29 October. Use the current council structure and latest reorganisation statement rather than treating proposed councils as operational.

North Kent and Medway

North Kent and Medway — checked 6 November 2026
Area or issue	What to check for your project
Dartford	July 2026 validation list references adopted policy M14 and a draft gain plan for non-exempt applications. It specifies ecology evidence for sensitive sites, including land within 200 metres of an SSSI. Apply it with the council’s updated exemption guidance. Establish whether the site falls within Ebbsfleet’s decision-making area.
Gravesham	Current BNG application guidance reflects the August 2026 changes and lists baseline, metric, habitat-plan and exemption evidence. The development plan retains the 2014 Core Strategy and saved policies. The summer 2026 draft validation consultation alone does not establish adoption. Check the operative checklist and Ebbsfleet boundary.
Medway	Medway’s BNG submission guidance applies to this separate unitary authority. Its adopted BNE37 and BNE38 policies address habitats and wildlife connections. The replacement Local Plan was under examination in October 2026. The shared LNRS boundary does not turn Medway into a Kent district or create one planning policy.
Ebbsfleet Development Corporation	Check the urban development area. The corporation determines most applications within it, while plan-making remains with the local authorities. Confirm the application route before preparing the submission.

East Kent

East Kent — checked 6 November 2026
Area or issue	What to check for your project
Canterbury	The adopted 2017 plan includes LB8 habitat networks and LB9 biodiversity. The Regulation 19 consultation is evidence of an emerging plan, not adoption. The council report describes draft DS25 as 20% for qualifying major development and 10% for qualifying non-major development. Establish the applicable policy weight for the application.
Dover	Adopted policy NE1 addresses the 10% requirement, local delivery preferences and supporting gain-plan/HMMP evidence. The council warns its pages are being updated for the August 2026 amendments. Do not apply older hierarchy wording without that qualification.
Thanet	Adopted Local Plan SP30 addresses biodiversity protection and enhancement. The council also provides BNG process and habitat-bank guidance. Its older statement that the LNRS is still forthcoming has been overtaken by publication. The September 2026 Biodiversity Strategy decision is a separate strategy decision, not a replacement Local Plan.

Ashford and the Channel coast

Ashford and the Channel coast — checked 6 November 2026
Area or issue	What to check for your project
Ashford	Validation item LV30 requires a statement explaining the delivery route and relevant scaled habitat plans, alongside national NV10 evidence. The emerging Local Plan 2044 is separate from the adopted Local Plan 2030. For affected Stour catchment schemes, check nutrient neutrality as well.
Folkestone and Hythe	Adopted plans include the 2022 Core Strategy Review and 2020 Places and Policies plan. Policy NE2 addresses biodiversity protection and enhancement. The linked non-householder requirements, reviewed in 2023, cover ecological appraisal, follow-on surveys and management plans where triggered. This older list must be read alongside current national BNG requirements. The new plan’s 2026 scoping work remains emerging. Otterpool Park’s ambition is scheme-specific.

West Kent

West Kent — checked 6 November 2026
Area or issue	What to check for your project
Sevenoaks	Adopted Core Strategy SP11 addresses habitat conservation, enhancement and connectivity. BNG guidance asks for baseline value and date, the metric and its version, scaled habitat mapping, and relevant degradation or irreplaceable-habitat evidence. It recognises the published LNRS. The 2027–2042 Local Plan went through Regulation 19 publication in July–September 2026; its proposals are separate from adopted policy.
Tonbridge and Malling	Adopted environmental policies NE2–NE4 address habitat networks, biodiversity impacts, trees and hedges. The Local Plan review and interim BNG position are distinct documents. The reviewed plan page records consultation and further work; it is not an adoption notice. Verify the current checklist and avoid treating old interim mapping as the current LNRS.
Tunbridge Wells	Local Plan 2020–2038 was adopted on 10 December 2025. Council BNG guidance references EN9 and the validation list adopted on 24 September 2026, including gain/exemption statements, metric and condition evidence.

Central Kent and county matters

Central Kent and county matters — checked 6 November 2026
Area or issue	What to check for your project
Maidstone	October 2026 checklist A13 specifies 20% for Heathlands and Lidsing and 10% elsewhere in its current instructions. Older general BNG wording differs. Confirm the site allocation, application history and applicable requirement with the case officer.
Swale	Checklist A13, updated 29 October 2026 requires the relevant gain statement, plans and metric evidence and identifies a 10% requirement. Significant on-site or off-site proposals need management information; claimed exemptions need supporting evidence.
Kent County Council	Minerals and Waste Local Plan 2024–2039 was adopted on 13 March 2025. County matters and council development use the appropriate county submission route; KCC’s nature-recovery role does not make it the deciding authority for every Kent housing scheme.

The table identifies practical starting points. Site allocations, neighbourhood plans, earlier permissions and subsequent guidance may affect a particular proposal. A county-wide ambition for higher gains does not establish an adopted percentage for every site.

Nature recovery

Use Kent’s LNRS to guide a deliverable habitat design

The Kent and Medway Local Nature Recovery Strategy was published in November 2025. It covers both areas and provides priorities and mapped opportunities. Several older council pages still refer to its future publication; use the published strategy and current mapping instructions.

Read the correct map layer

Use the official mapping portal to examine the parcel and the mapped potential measure. Wider measures are not equivalent to potential measures for BNG scoring. The portal currently warns that its areas-that-could-be-important layer is being updated. Retain the review date and relevant map evidence.

Explain strategic significance

The proposed intervention must fit the mapped potential measure as well as the parcel location. Check the current treatment of already protected areas. Simply being in Kent, close to a designated site or within a broad opportunity area does not justify the higher score. Use the published strategic-significance guidance.

Habitat questions to resolve before finalising a layout
Area or issue	What to check for your project
Grassland and woodland connections	The LNRS prioritises habitat connectivity, grassland recovery and woodland/hedgerow management. Survey what is actually present. Test whether retained boundaries and connected habitat parcels can remain practical to manage.
Successional and previously developed land	The LNRS specifically recognises successional habitats. A previously developed site is not automatically of low ecological value. Establish habitat type and condition before assuming clearance creates an easy baseline.
Fresh water and drainage	The strategy prioritises freshwater condition and functioning catchments. Coordinate habitat proposals with drainage, access and maintenance requirements. Treat river or ditch assessment as a scoped task, not a conclusion drawn from a map.
Coast and urban nature	Coastal recovery and urban habitats are distinct strategy priorities. Choose interventions appropriate to the location, exposure, existing habitat and future management, rather than repeating a standard planting schedule.

These are design questions derived from the published strategy. They do not identify the habitat, condition or protected-species status of an individual site.

Coordinated assessment

Keep BNG, nutrient neutrality and protected-site mitigation distinct

Stodmarsh and the Stour catchment

For affected housing and other overnight accommodation, Ashford’s nutrient-neutrality guidance identifies a separate nutrient assessment route. Confirm catchment and wastewater connections. Buying biodiversity units does not itself establish nutrient neutrality or resolve an appropriate assessment.

North Kent marshes and coastal recreation

Swale’s SAMMS guidance addresses disturbance of protected wintering and migrating birds. BNG habitat calculations and recreational mitigation answer different questions. Identify both requirements early, so the budget and supporting documents cover each obligation.

Protected species, ancient woodland and other sensitive features also require their own assessment. An apparently favourable metric result does not authorise damage to a protected feature.

Local delivery evidence

What local delivery examples can tell you

Chalksole Habitat Bank

Dover lists Chalksole with a 30-year legal agreement and describes woodland, grassland and pond opportunities. Its location is intended to connect existing woodland and contribute to wider recovery. This is evidence of a documented delivery route, not confirmation that the units your project needs are currently available.

RSPB Worth Marshes

Dover also lists Worth Marshes with secured habitat creation and enhancement. The published description includes grassland and scrub linked to wetland restoration. Request the relevant metric, national registration and allocation information before relying on a purchase.

Both examples come from Dover’s habitat-bank register. Confirm the habitat type, number of units, spatial factors, legal agreement and allocation to the development. No current stock or price is asserted here.

Otterpool Park: an ambition at scheme scale

The council describes a development approach retaining substantial green space and targeting 20% BNG. The published collaboration FAQ shows why habitat and infrastructure decisions need early coordination. It is not evidence that those gains have already been achieved, or a requirement applying to every Folkestone and Hythe development.

Preston Hill: a council pilot

KCC’s decision 26/00021 concerns developing biodiversity-unit provision at Preston Hill. A pilot decision does not prove national registration or saleable inventory. Treat proposed supply separately from a legally secured and allocated solution.

The Kent BNG Site Register includes prospective and surveyed opportunities. It is separate from the national biodiversity gain sites register. For help assessing a shortfall, see ACP’s off-site biodiversity units service.

Budget and responsibilities

Budget for assessment, delivery and long-term management

A Kent BNG budget should distinguish ecological work from land, legal and management costs. The baseline, habitat type, delivery route and relevant authority determine the work required.

BNG cost categories and the evidence to request
Area or issue	What to check for your project
Survey and assessment	Request a scope covering habitat survey, condition assessment, metric calculation, design liaison and reporting. Identify any additional seasonal or watercourse surveys. See ACP’s BNG costs guidance.
Off-site units	Obtain a dated, habitat-specific quotation. Check spatial factors, availability, registration and allocation. A price per hectare or a different habitat type cannot be treated as an interchangeable unit price.
Council legal and monitoring fees	Maidstone’s general s106 page excludes BNG from its standard monitoring tariff and describes a bespoke BNG fee. Its separate BNG page still labels a schedule 2024/25. Obtain written confirmation of the current charge; do not label historic figures as a 2026 quotation.
Management and contingency	Allow for habitat establishment, monitoring, reporting and remedial work. Identify the responsible land manager and funding arrangements before relying on the habitat in the metric.

For the fee distinction, compare Maidstone’s s106 guidance with its dated BNG charging information. Council fees are separate from ACP’s consultancy fee.

Application evidence

A Kent BNG checklist for your project

Confirm scope and history
Record the red-line area, planning route, application date, earlier permission and exemption evidence. Resolve any transitional issue before commissioning the wrong metric.
Establish the habitat baseline
Prepare a scaled, north-pointed habitat plan, survey and condition evidence. Record the relevant baseline date and any degradation issue. Match parcel identifiers and areas across the plan and workbook.
Apply the local checklist
Use the deciding authority’s current validation requirements. Include the applicable Kent and Medway gain statement, draft gain plan and supporting documents where requested.
Coordinate the landscape and metric
Check that access, drainage and services leave the habitat areas shown in the calculation. Justify target condition, timescales and management. Explain the LNRS evidence used.
Secure delivery
Resolve significant on-site management, off-site legal security and allocation. Prepare the final gain plan and supporting evidence for the relevant approval stage.
Fund and monitor the result
Agree management responsibilities, reporting and remedial actions. ACP can help prepare a Habitat Management and Monitoring Plan reflecting the proposed habitats and practical access.

Project support

BNG surveys and planning support across Kent

Send ACP the site location, red-line plan, proposed layout, planning reference and any council comments. Include previous ecological reports and metric workbooks where available. These documents help us identify the appropriate survey and reporting scope.

Our BNG assessment service supports baseline assessment and planning submissions. Where watercourses affect the proposal, we can scope river condition assessment. The statutory biodiversity metric page explains the calculation service.

The South East BNG guide provides the wider regional context. This Kent guide focuses on local authority differences, nature recovery and practical delivery. Planning decisions remain with the relevant authority; no approval or biodiversity-unit availability is guaranteed.

Discuss your Kent project →

Local planning questions

Kent biodiversity net gain questions

For a site-specific scope, share your plans and the council’s comments with ACP.

What do biodiversity net gain consultants in Kent check first?

We check the red-line boundary, application history, deciding authority and existing habitat evidence. This determines the assessment scope before a layout or off-site purchase is relied upon.

How do I compare biodiversity net gain Kent quotations?

Compare the included survey, condition assessment, metric, report and planning support. Check separately for legal fees, habitat units, management and monitoring. A low assessment fee does not establish the full cost of delivering the gain.

Does every Kent development need 20% BNG?

No. Do not apply a county-wide ambition as a universal requirement. Identify the permission’s statutory position, current local policy and any site-specific requirement. Maidstone’s recent checklist distinguishes particular garden-settlement allocations from other development.

Does Medway follow the same planning policy as Kent?

Medway shares the LNRS area but has its own planning authority and development plan. Its policy position must be checked separately.

Is the Kent and Medway LNRS still a draft?

No. It was published in November 2025. Use the current strategy and mapping advice, even where older council pages still refer to its preparation.

Can a small Kent site be exempt?

Possibly. From 6 August 2026, qualifying applications for sites of 0.2 hectares or below can benefit from the new exemption, subject to the priority-habitat exclusion and transitional rules. Other exemptions also exist. Record the evidence supporting the claim.

Can I assume a self-build house is exempt?

No. The standalone exemption was removed for new applications from 6 August 2026. An earlier application or another exemption can change the position, so check the planning history.

Does a Kent habitat-bank listing prove units are suitable?

No. Check the habitat type, legal security, national registration, available quantity and allocation. The development’s metric must also account for the relevant location and trading requirements.

Can BNG resolve Stodmarsh nutrient neutrality?

The requirements are separate. A site may need both a biodiversity calculation and nutrient mitigation evidence. Any combined delivery proposal needs its own assessment and supporting agreements.

When should I arrange a BNG survey in Kent?

Before fixing a layout that depends on an assumed habitat baseline. Survey timing depends on the habitats and any related species work. Early review helps identify seasonal constraints and avoid redesign.

Can ACP prepare a BNG assessment for a Kent planning application?

ACP can scope the habitat survey, metric and reporting around the authority’s requirements. Provide the red-line boundary, proposed layout and planning comments so the required outputs can be identified.

What happens after the biodiversity gain plan is approved?

The agreed habitat work and secured management commitments still need to be delivered. Keep the approved plans, responsibilities, monitoring evidence and reporting dates available to the land manager and project team.

Talk to ACP / Site enquiries

What does your site need next?

Tell us where the site is, what you plan to build and how far the application has progressed. We’ll use that context to discuss the surveys, calculations or plans your project needs.

What to have to handA red-line plan, an existing ecology report or a request from the council can help us scope the work. Start with whatever you already have.

Call the team0330 236 7329 Email your enquiryhello@acp-consultants.com

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Evidence register

Sources for this Kent guide

Official sources reviewed on 6 November 2026. Consult the linked authority for application-specific requirements and subsequent changes.