Forest of Dean BNG advice
Biodiversity Net Gain in Forest of Dean
Plan your Forest of Dean development around local habitats, planning requirements and practical biodiversity gains.
ACP Consultants can help with habitat surveys, biodiversity metric calculations and a practical BNG delivery plan for your Forest of Dean site.
Local requirements
Forest of Dean BNG requirements at a glance
Establish the planning route before choosing surveys, habitat targets or a delivery strategy.
| Check | Practical answer |
|---|---|
| Planning authority | Forest of Dean District Council — verify the actual parcel, any special planning jurisdiction and site type |
| Adopted development plan | Forest of Dean Core Strategy adopted 23 February 2012, Cinderford Northern Quarter Area Action Plan adopted 2012, and Allocations Plan adopted June 2018 |
| Specific biodiversity policies | CSP.1 – Design and Environmental Protection (2012 Core Strategy); 2018 Allocations Plan habitat and protected-area provisions |
| Emerging plan status | Forest of Dean District Council withdrew its Revised Draft Local Plan 2025–2045 at Full Council on 30 June 2026, with a formal withdrawal notice 6 July 2026. This is not an adopted 2045 policy. The council started a new-system replacement Local Plan process on 6 July 2026, and its published timetable proposes scoping consultation 14 January–28 February 2027, first Gateway self-assessment around 1 March 2027 and tentative adoption September 2029. These future milestones are not completed as of 10 November 2026. The existing 2012 Core Strategy CSP.1, 2018 Allocations Plan and Cinderford Northern Quarter AAP remain operative with applicable made neighbourhood plans. |
| LNRS | Gloucestershire Local Nature Recovery Strategy, published 13 February 2026; Gloucestershire County Council |
| Statutory BNG | Normally at least 10% for eligible applications; exemption and application date checks are essential |
| Protected sites | Independent Habitats Regulations or protected-species evidence where a credible impact pathway exists |
Planning authority and policy
Which Forest of Dean policies affect this site?
Forest of Dean District Council is the ordinary planning authority. Use the adopted 2012 Core Strategy, 2018 Allocations Plan and the Cinderford Northern Quarter Area Action Plan where applicable. The revised 2025–2045 draft was withdrawn in June 2026; a replacement process is under way.
Which council and planning area cover the site?
Forest of Dean District Council determines ordinary development in Cinderford, Lydney, Coleford, Newent, the Forest settlements and most of the district. Gloucestershire County Council determines minerals/waste and certain county developments. This district is not part of Gloucester/Cheltenham/Tewkesbury's adopted 2017 Joint Core Strategy. The protected Wye Valley National Landscape, the statutory Forest of Dean woodland and Wye/Severn cross-border catchments do not form one new local planning authority; development across the Welsh boundary needs Welsh planning law.
Before commissioning surveys, confirm the adopted policies map, any applicable neighbourhood plan, the planning application type and any important habitats. For regional context, use BNG in South West England.
What does the adopted Forest of Dean Local Plan say about biodiversity?
The current adopted planning framework is Forest of Dean Core Strategy adopted 23 February 2012, Cinderford Northern Quarter Area Action Plan adopted 2012, and Allocations Plan adopted June 2018. Relevant biodiversity and landscape policy references include CSP.1 – Design and Environmental Protection (2012 Core Strategy); 2018 Allocations Plan habitat and protected-area provisions.
The adopted Forest of Dean Core Strategy, effective 23 February 2012, includes CSP.1 Design and Environmental Protection, which addresses high-quality development and protection of ecological, landscape and environmental resources. The Allocations Plan adopted June 2018 identifies sites and detailed district policy, and the Cinderford Northern Quarter Area Action Plan adopted in February 2012 applies within that defined area. They remain part of the development plan after the withdrawal of the Revised Draft Local Plan 2025–2045 in June 2026. Draft 2025/26 biodiversity policy text is not binding law.
Alongside current national 10% BNG, an applicant must screen the site for protected bat flight lines/roosts, dark corridors, old woodland and Wye/Severn designation effects. A positive BNG metric is not a substitute for bat SAC Habitats Regulations assessment, licensing or dark-light planning.
How should an applicant apply these policies?
Apply the adopted CSP.1 and 2018 Allocations Plan for the actual Forest of Dean parcel. Existing woodland, dark bat flight corridors and Wye/Severn river habitats may require avoidance or legally separate mitigation; a positive BNG metric alone is not an SAC clearance.
Is Forest of Dean's replacement Local Plan already adopted?
Forest of Dean District Council withdrew its Revised Draft Local Plan 2025–2045 at Full Council on 30 June 2026, with a formal withdrawal notice 6 July 2026. This is not an adopted 2045 policy. The council started a new-system replacement Local Plan process on 6 July 2026, and its published timetable proposes scoping consultation 14 January–28 February 2027, first Gateway self-assessment around 1 March 2027 and tentative adoption September 2029. These future milestones are not completed as of 10 November 2026.
The existing 2012 Core Strategy CSP.1, 2018 Allocations Plan and Cinderford Northern Quarter AAP remain operative with applicable made neighbourhood plans.
Does the statutory 10% requirement apply to this site in 2026?
For eligible applications, the national BNG requirement is normally at least 10%. However, not every application is subject to the mandatory biodiversity gain condition.
| Project situation | What must be checked |
|---|---|
| Red-line site 0.2 hectares or less, application from 6 August 2026 | A conditional exemption may apply only when development does not affect an onsite priority habitat. |
| Householder development | The statutory householder exemption may apply, although other ecological duties remain. |
| Very small habitat impact | The de minimis exemption has specific area, length and habitat conditions. Do not assume it covers every small proposal. |
| Self-build or custom-build application from 6 August 2026 | The previous dedicated exemption no longer applies for new applications; another exemption may still be relevant. |
| Wholly temporary qualifying scheme | A conditional exemption can apply to some development lasting five years or less. |
| Older applications, permissions or section 73 changes | Transitional rules and the original application date may alter the answer. |
| Eligible nationally significant infrastructure | A separate NSIP BNG regime began for relevant applications submitted from 2 November 2026. |
For detailed scenarios, use BNG exemptions guide and current GOV.UK exemption conditions.
Nature recovery and local geography
What does the local evidence mean for a design?
Connect the surveyed habitat baseline with the proposed layout and planning documents. Local nature recovery priorities and protected-site evidence also help shape the design.
Which Local Nature Recovery Strategy applies to Forest of Dean?
Gloucestershire Local Nature Recovery Strategy is the relevant published strategy. Its responsible authority is Gloucestershire County Council and the recorded publication point is published 13 February 2026.
The Gloucestershire LNRS was published 13 February 2026 by Gloucestershire County Council as responsible authority, with 113 suggested habitat/species recovery measures and a Local Habitat Map. Forest of Dean's extensive wooded network, Wye Valley bat foraging corridors, Rivers Wye and Severn, lowland and upland meadows and wetland restoration have locally relevant themes. However, a proposed offsite gain must match the actual mapped potential measure, site geometry and eligible habitat before the metric can award a strategic-significance factor. The map does not displace protected species/HRA law or create automatically registered/available BNG units.
How to use the LNRS map without overclaiming
- Identify the red-line boundary and download or view the current local habitat map.
- Find any mapped area or priority relevant to that parcel.
- Identify the particular proposed recovery measure, not just the broad nature theme.
- Test the habitat against the site's baseline, soils, hydrology, management and protected-site constraints.
- Keep a dated record explaining any statutory metric strategic-significance entry.
Official resource: Gloucestershire Local Nature Recovery Strategy. For the technical calculation, see statutory biodiversity metric.
What habitats and landscapes should a Forest of Dean BNG survey consider?
Forest of Dean's extensive woodland, Wye Valley bat landscapes and rivers create distinctive ecological planning questions. These examples guide survey scoping only, with actual roost, woodland and watercourse conditions determined from the site.
| Local setting | Potential habitat or evidence issue |
|---|---|
| Wye Valley and Forest of Dean bat landscape | Woodland, dark hedgerow flight corridors, caves, mines, tunnels and roost buildings linked to greater/lesser horseshoe bat SAC populations; lighting design matters. |
| River Wye, Severn and floodplain farmland | Riparian grassland, wet woodland, floodplain, drains and protected river/estuary ecosystems. Watercourse metric and any site-specific water quality effects are separate. |
| Cinderford Northern Quarter and brownfield forest edge | Former industrial/quarry land can have mosaic priority habitats, scrub, wetland, woodland and protected bat foraging routes; do not assume low value from previous industry. |
| Lydney, Newent and Forest settlement margins | Ancient trees, heath, grassland, hedgerows, ponds and ecological networks affected by settlement allocations and rural development. |
Which protected sites or species may create separate duties?
The Wye Valley & Forest of Dean Bat Sites SAC is internationally important for greater and lesser horseshoe bats. The district council publishes a 2016 Wye Valley/Forest of Dean Bat Conservation Strategy, November 2019 references and July 2021 development management survey/assessment guidance. This is unusually detailed local planning advice: site ecology, dusk/dawn bat surveys where appropriate, dark hedgerows, internal light spill and illuminance contours may be required in affected cases. Wye Valley Woodlands SAC, River Wye SAC and Severn Estuary SAC/SPA/Ramsar create additional site-dependent Habitats Regulations duties.
A generic countywide visitor or phosphate tariff was not established. High Wycombe's River Wye is a different river; the Forest Wye is the border watercourse and effects depend on actual site. The Wye Valley National Landscape is not a separate LPA.
Why the distinction matters
Statutory BNG is a metric and delivery framework. Habitats Regulations Assessment, SSSI considerations and protected-species obligations follow separate legal and ecological tests.
Where an international site may be affected, competent-authority screening or appropriate assessment may be needed. Follow current GOV.UK appropriate assessment guidance, and record exactly what has and has not been assessed.
Local planning context
The Wye Valley and Forest of Dean Bat Sites SAC: a local evidence pathway
The Forest of Dean is distinctive for its greater and lesser horseshoe bat populations linked to old mines, caves, tunnels, woodland and traditional buildings. Forest of Dean District Council publishes detailed development-management guidance for the internationally designated Wye Valley and Forest of Dean Bat Sites SAC.
The council's Bat Strategy dates to 2016, with key references from November 2019 and a July 2021 Development Management Survey and Assessment Guide. The guidance highlights how new lighting can sever dark flight routes, alter roost behaviour and reduce ecological connectivity.
For a new barn conversion, quarry restoration or settlement-edge development, obtain the actual bat survey and protected-site screening before finalising access lighting. The design may need dark buffer zones, low-light or timed luminaires and specific lux contour plans. These are HRA/protected-species controls distinct from BNG metric units. A habitat creation plan does not automatically compensate for losing a SAC horseshoe-bat flight line.
Council evidence: Forest of Dean ecological assessments and horseshoe bat guidance.
A second important planning safeguard is the council's withdrawal of its draft 2025–2045 plan on 30 June 2026. The adopted 2012 CSP.1, 2018 Allocations Plan and Northern Quarter Area Action Plan remain operative while the new plan is prepared under its 2027–2029 provisional timetable.
Planning and delivery
Preparing evidence and delivering biodiversity gain
Connect the surveyed habitat baseline with the proposed layout and planning documents. Local nature recovery priorities and protected-site evidence also help shape the design.
Which statutory metric and habitat evidence should I prepare?
As at 10 November 2026, Defra's main statutory biodiversity metric calculation tool is version 1.1.0, issued on 3 November 2026. Earlier valid statutory versions can remain usable. Historic non-statutory Biodiversity Metric 4.0 is not an acceptable substitute for a mandatory statutory calculation.
The metric uses different modules for area habitats, hedgerows and watercourses. Each has its own trading and accounting rules, so a surplus in one module cannot automatically erase a loss in another.
Some genuinely eligible smaller sites may use the Small Sites Metric. However, eligibility depends on the development and habitat conditions, not merely whether a site feels small.
See our BNG assessments and habitat surveys, Small Sites Metric assessments and habitat condition assessment pages for the separate survey and metric services.
What must be submitted with a Forest of Dean planning application?
For a non-exempt site, the planning-stage package may include a red-line boundary, baseline habitat plan, metric calculation, explanation of pre-development habitat condition and a feasible post-development gain strategy.
The final statutory Biodiversity Gain Plan is normally approved after permission and before commencement. It is different from preliminary planning information supplied to show that a scheme is viable.
Useful related guidance: BNG planning validation checklists. Do not assume that a generic national checklist displaces the council's current application-specific local list.
How should a developer approach the layout and delivery route?
- Map what exists. Record trees, grassland, scrub, gardens, hedges and watercourses accurately.
- Retain valuable features. Check protections, root zones, buffers, species and connectivity before locating buildings.
- Test on-site enhancement. Design habitat areas that fit the land, hydrology, sunlight and realistic maintenance.
- Compare against LNRS priorities. Match any strategic-significance claim to a mapped site measure and suitable habitat.
- Run metric and trading checks. Keep area, hedgerow and watercourse outputs separate.
- Secure remaining delivery. Where on-site gains are insufficient, assess legally registered and allocated off-site units under the applicable hierarchy.
Substantial on-site and registered off-site habitat gains generally need at least 30 years of legally secured management. The plan should specify who will maintain habitats and how their condition will be monitored.
For later-stage documents, use Biodiversity Gain Plans and Habitat Management and Monitoring Plans.
Local development and regeneration: what is relevant here?
Cinderford Northern Quarter is covered by its adopted February 2012 Area Action Plan, unlike the withdrawn 2025–2045 draft. Forest restoration, new education/community facilities, highways and former quarry redevelopment can be considered within adopted policy, but not every proposed Cinderford scheme has consent. Lydney and Coleford settlement opportunities, Forest edge employment and tourism development require compatible protected bat corridors and actual vegetation surveys. The 2026 withdrawn Local Plan's housing allocations are not current adopted planning permissions. For any rural conversion, bat roosts and appropriate lighting design can be as important as the statutory metric.
A practical Forest of Dean biodiversity planning example
Documented specific development-management guidance: Forest of Dean District Council maintains its Wye Valley and Forest of Dean Bat Strategy 2016, Bat SAC Key References 2019 and Development Management Survey and Assessment Guidance July 2021. Council guidance explains horseshoe bats' sensitivity to artificial light and describes ecological/lux contour evidence, dark buffers, and warm/dimmable luminaires. A hypothetical barn conversion on a woodland edge should assess existing roosts, flight lines and site lighting separately from the statutory habitat metric. The public strategy demonstrates the regulatory duty to protect functional bat habitat before proposing generic offset planting.
Are off-site biodiversity units or habitat banks available nearby?
A developer can consider registered off-site units where allowed by the applicable BNG hierarchy. However, a map of potential habitat or the advertisement of a habitat bank is not proof that compatible units are available today.
Check the site registration, habitat type, unit quantity, trading rules, distance or spatial risk, legal securing and allocation to the particular development. Statutory biodiversity credits are a distinct last-resort mechanism.
For the method rather than invented stock, see off-site biodiversity units. Confirm the relevant habitat units, availability, price and allocation terms with the supplier.
Council and delivery costs
What costs and separate planning contributions matter?
Request the current applicable council schedule and project-specific habitat quotation. A bat SAC assessment, professional acoustic/bat survey or bat-sensitive lighting plan is a specialist ecological planning cost, not a registered BNG unit or nutrient-neutrality credit. Do not import the Gloucester/Cheltenham Cotswold Beechwoods SAC recreation tariff automatically into the Forest of Dean. If a project has a real Severn/Wye SAC or other impact pathway, the necessary HRA and mitigation must be scoped and legally secured for the actual site. No routine Forest of Dean universal nutrient credits are documented.
Keep these categories distinct when preparing an actual budget:
| Cost category | Why it may apply |
|---|---|
| Surveys and technical reports | Habitat baseline, condition, metric, protected species and specialist watercourse work. |
| Habitat delivery | Creation, establishment, maintenance and monitoring of on-site or off-site gains. |
| Legal and administrative | Agreements, conservation covenants, registration, monitoring charges and planning obligations where relevant. |
| Separate protected-site mitigation | Recreational SPA/SANG/SAMM or nutrient obligations, where applicable. These are not biodiversity-unit prices. |
| Statutory biodiversity credits | A separate last-resort national mechanism for eligible projects. |
Planning evidence
Forest of Dean BNG preparation checklist
Use this checklist to gather the site information and decisions needed before an assessment or planning submission.
Free resource: Use the local BNG planning evidence route worksheet. It provides a light, accessible reference to official documents and the difference between BNG and separate ecological duties.
Planning evidence worksheet
Find your Forest of Dean planning and evidence route
This free worksheet helps locate primary sources. It cannot determine an exemption, calculate biodiversity units or issue planning clearance. Use the actual red-line site and proposal details.
Open the question relevant to your project
Which planning authority and adopted plan?
Adopted framework: Forest of Dean Core Strategy adopted 23 February 2012, Cinderford Northern Quarter Area Action Plan adopted 2012, and Allocations Plan adopted June 2018. Policies: CSP.1 – Design and Environmental Protection (2012 Core Strategy); 2018 Allocations Plan habitat and protected-area provisions.
Check the red-line boundary, current local list and official policies map. The county-level research relationship is documented in the handover; no published county URL is allocated here.
Is a new Local Plan or higher BNG target already operative?
Forest of Dean District Council withdrew its Revised Draft Local Plan 2025–2045 at Full Council on 30 June 2026, with a formal withdrawal notice 6 July 2026. This is not an adopted 2045 policy. The council started a new-system replacement Local Plan process on 6 July 2026, and its published timetable proposes scoping consultation 14 January–28 February 2027, first Gateway self-assessment around 1 March 2027 and tentative adoption September 2029. These future milestones are not completed as of 10 November 2026.
The existing 2012 Core Strategy CSP.1, 2018 Allocations Plan and Cinderford Northern Quarter AAP remain operative with applicable made neighbourhood plans.
The current national 10% requirement applies to eligible development, subject to exemptions. An emerging percentage must not be presented as an adopted obligation.
Which published LNRS and map apply?
Gloucestershire Local Nature Recovery Strategy — published 13 February 2026. Responsible authority: Gloucestershire County Council.
Match the site to an actual mapped measure and suitable habitat. A regional map does not certify habitat present on a development site or automatically award metric uplift.
Could my application qualify for a 2026 BNG exemption?
For applications from 6 August 2026, a red-line site up to 0.2 hectares may qualify if no onsite priority habitat is adversely affected. Other householder, de minimis, temporary and transitional categories have distinct conditions.
What separate habitat or designated-site issue matters here?
The Wye Valley & Forest of Dean Bat Sites SAC is internationally important for greater and lesser horseshoe bats. The district council publishes a 2016 Wye Valley/Forest of Dean Bat Conservation Strategy, November 2019 references and July 2021 development management survey/assessment guidance. This is unusually detailed local planning advice: site ecology, dusk/dawn bat surveys where appropriate, dark hedgerows, internal light spill and illuminance contours may be required in affected cases. Wye Valley Woodlands SAC, River Wye SAC and Severn Estuary SAC/SPA/Ramsar create additional site-dependent Habitats Regulations duties.
A generic countywide visitor or phosphate tariff was not established. High Wycombe's River Wye is a different river; the Forest Wye is the border watercourse and effects depend on actual site. The Wye Valley National Landscape is not a separate LPA.
Do not substitute biodiversity units for HRA, protected-species or water-quality evidence.
When do I need a gain plan and habitat management?
Planning-stage documents depend on the current council validation list and proposal type. The final statutory gain plan is normally approved after permission and before commencement. Significant habitat gains may need at least 30 years of secured management and monitoring.
Details to gather before an enquiry
Project support
How ACP can help with your Forest of Dean project
ACP can help you plan the surveys, calculations and documents your site needs. We agree the scope around your proposal, its planning stage and the habitats affected.
Survey, design and planning support
- Habitat surveys and condition assessments.
- Statutory metric calculations and design options.
- BNG reports and planning submission support.
- Gain plans and habitat management documents.
Local planning questions
Frequently asked questions about BNG in Forest of Dean
For a site-specific question, discuss your project with ACP.
Which Forest of Dean planning documents are currently adopted?
The Core Strategy adopted 23 February 2012 (CSP.1), Allocations Plan adopted June 2018 and applicable Cinderford Northern Quarter Area Action Plan 2012 remain operative, alongside 2026 national BNG rules.
Was the Forest of Dean Local Plan 2025–2045 adopted?
No. Full Council withdrew the Revised Draft on 30 June 2026. A separate replacement plan began July 2026, with scoping expected in January–February 2027. The withdrawn draft's proposed allocations are not adopted requirements.
Does a barn conversion near Forest woodland always need a horseshoe bat HRA?
Not automatically. The Wye Valley and Forest of Dean Bat Sites SAC and protected bat interests require screening where the site and proposed works create a credible roost, flightline or habitat-impact pathway. Use actual surveys and the council's 2021 bat guidance.
Can a bat-sensitive lighting plan replace the BNG habitat metric?
No. Lighting and protected bat mitigation address effects on species and designated sites, while statutory BNG measures habitat gains. An eligible development may need both, and a positive 10% metric does not discharge SAC duties.
Is 10% biodiversity net gain compulsory for every Forest of Dean project?
No. Eligible applications normally require at least 10%, but the 2026 national exemptions, application date, development type and priority habitats can change the position. Other ecological and planning policies can still apply.
Do I need an ecology survey if my application is exempt?
Not automatically for every site, but an exemption from mandatory BNG does not remove protected species, designated site, tree or local ecological planning duties. The need for evidence depends on what the proposed work may affect.
Does a published local nature recovery map itself grant permission?
No. The Gloucestershire Local Nature Recovery Strategy helps target recovery priorities. It does not prove a habitat exists on a parcel, award metric uplift automatically or replace planning permission. Compare the map with actual habitat surveys and the mapped measure.
Can I buy off-site units instead of avoiding habitat loss?
The applicable gain hierarchy and trading rules still matter. Registered off-site units can be part of a lawful delivery strategy, but their type, legal securing, allocation and availability must be checked. Statutory credits are a separate last-resort route.
When is a final Biodiversity Gain Plan approved?
For applicable ordinary planning permissions, approval normally follows permission and precedes the start of development. Planning applications still need proportionate evidence of deliverability; the local authority's current validation guidance must be checked.
Does a positive 10% BNG metric remove the need for horseshoe bat protection?
No. Where development could affect the Wye Valley and Forest of Dean Bat Sites SAC or protected bat roosts and flight corridors, Habitats Regulations and protected-species duties require separate evidence, irrespective of habitat-unit gains.
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.
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Forest of Dean BNG
Sources and references
Reviewed 10 November 2026.
Official planning and nature recovery sources
- Current GOV.UK exemption guidance
- View the official local nature recovery materials
- Appropriate assessment guidance
- Forest ecology and horseshoe bat guidance
- Current adopted Forest of Dean plan gateway
- Forest Core Strategy adopted policy text
- Forest 2025–2045 withdrawal notice
- Current replacement Forest new plan
- Forest new plan timetable
- GOV.UK's BNG guidance
- statutory biodiversity metric downloads
- National Planning Policy Framework: biodiversity policies N1 and N2