South Yorkshire BNG advice
Biodiversity Net Gain in South Yorkshire
Plan your South Yorkshire development around its habitats, local planning policies and biodiversity net gain requirements.
ACP Consultants can help with habitat surveys, biodiversity metric calculations and a practical BNG delivery plan for your South Yorkshire site.
Local planning guidance
Is 10% Biodiversity Net Gain mandatory in South Yorkshire?
Eligible planning applications in England normally need to achieve at least 10% statutory Biodiversity Net Gain. This national requirement applies across South Yorkshire, including qualifying land inside the Peak District National Park.
The law changed on 6 August 2026. For applications made from that date, development on a red-line site of 0.2 hectares or less can be exempt if it does not affect onsite priority habitat. Some wholly temporary developments lasting no more than five years may also qualify. The previous dedicated self-build and custom-build exemption ended for new applications made from that date.
The exemptions are conditional. A project does not qualify merely because it is one house, a small commercial building or a low-value planning application. Check the red-line area, habitat effects, application date and any earlier section 73 permission.
Other duties may apply even where statutory BNG is exempt. For example, protected bats, important hedgerows, ancient woodland, watercourses or internationally designated habitat can need independent assessment.
See our BNG exemptions guide and the current GOV.UK planning guidance.
Local planning guidance
Which South Yorkshire planning authority covers my development?
South Yorkshire comprises four metropolitan borough/city local planning authorities. The Mayoral Combined Authority coordinates strategy and nature recovery, but it does not normally determine an ordinary housebuilding application.
| Where the development site lies | Ordinary planning decision-maker | Current development-plan and ecological check |
|---|---|---|
| Barnsley, including Wombwell, Penistone, Hoyland and Goldthorpe | Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council | Barnsley Local Plan adopted 3 January 2019, biodiversity policy BIO1, green infrastructure GI1, and March 2024 Biodiversity and Geodiversity SPD. |
| Doncaster, including Thorne, Hatfield, Mexborough, Bawtry and the city | City of Doncaster Council | Doncaster Local Plan adopted 23 September 2021, Policy 29 Ecological Networks, Policy 30 Valuing Biodiversity and Geodiversity and adopted BNG SPD. |
| Rotherham, including Maltby, Swinton, Wath and the town | Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council | Core Strategy adopted 10 September 2014, CS20, and Sites and Policies adopted 27 June 2018, including SP33/SP35; council's May 2026 validation checklist. |
| Sheffield, including Ecclesall, Stocksbridge and other city neighbourhoods outside the National Park | Sheffield City Council | Sheffield Core Strategy adopted 4 March 2009 with relevant saved 1998 UDP policies. Replacement Sheffield Plan with draft GS5/GS6 remains under examination. |
| Peak District National Park land within parts of Sheffield or Barnsley | Peak District National Park Authority | Separate statutory planning authority and adopted Park policy/validation requirements for the mapped Park site, plus protected moorland considerations. |
Boundary caution: A small part of the Barnsley/Sheffield boundary near Oughtibridge changed on 1 April 2025. Barnsley's adopted policies continue to apply to the transferred area under transitional arrangements. That illustrates why an address or postcode is not enough: verify the actual red-line parcel and planning-policy map.
The proposed South Yorkshire LNRS covers the city region, but that strategic evidence does not combine the four councils into one planning authority.
Local planning guidance
How does Barnsley assess biodiversity and planning applications?
Barnsley's Local Plan was adopted on 3 January 2019. It includes BIO1 Biodiversity and Geodiversity and GI1 Green Infrastructure, requiring the conservation and enhancement of habitats, wildlife connections, designated sites and important species.
The council adopted an updated Biodiversity and Geodiversity Supplementary Planning Document on 28 March 2024. It explains how BIO1 and GI1 are applied in development proposals.
Barnsley's Local Validation List was updated on 10 March 2026. Where relevant, it identifies supporting ecology documents such as:
- Preliminary Ecological Appraisal or Ecological Impact Assessment.
- Protected-species, habitat or bat-related surveys.
- Habitat-condition evidence and Biodiversity Net Gain assessment.
- Evidence of effects on designated sites, nature improvement areas and wildlife networks.
These are proposal-specific requirements. The checklist does not mean every legally exempt garden extension needs all four documents.
Is Barnsley already using a replacement Local Plan?
No. The council considered starting a new Local Plan in autumn 2026, with early public consultation proposed for January 2027. Its adopted 2019 plan remains the operative basis. Do not treat that future consultation as a new adopted environmental requirement.
The Dearne Valley Green Heart provides a distinctive landscape context, with wetland restoration and connections between the Dearne, Dove and Don river corridors.
For primary guidance, see Barnsley's adopted Local Plan and current SPDs.
Local planning guidance
What is Doncaster's current Biodiversity Net Gain planning approach?
Doncaster adopted its Local Plan 2015–2035 on 23 September 2021. Adopted Policy 29 Ecological Networks and Policy 30 Valuing Biodiversity and Geodiversity are especially relevant to ecological networks, important habitat and avoidance of harm.
The council adopted a Biodiversity Net Gain SPD in September 2022. It helps applicants prepare habitat, metric and delivery evidence. However, the SPD predates mandatory statutory BNG and was subsequently clarified.
Doncaster's older £27,500 unit contribution is not a current statutory unit price
Doncaster's SPD webpage states that its updated £27,500 per biodiversity unit local offsetting contribution applied only to planning applications made before mandatory BNG commenced. It must not be presented as the fee for buying statutory BNG units in November 2026.
The council also publishes interim strategic-significance guidance for metric applications while the final South Yorkshire LNRS remains unpublished. Use that authority-specific guidance alongside the statutory metric's current user guide.
Doncaster's next Local Plan
Doncaster began preparing a further Local Plan during 2026. Its council webpage records successful Gateway 1 on 30 October 2026. That is a plan-making milestone, not adoption. The 2021 Local Plan continues in operation.
For application evidence, use Doncaster mandatory BNG guidance and its adopted BNG SPD and strategic-significance guidance.
Local planning guidance
Which Rotherham biodiversity policies and documents apply?
Rotherham's adopted development plan includes its Core Strategy adopted 10 September 2014 and Sites and Policies Document adopted 27 June 2018.
The main ecology-related policies include:
- CS20 Biodiversity and Geodiversity, protecting species, habitats and ecological assets.
- SP33 Conserving and Enhancing the Natural Environment, covering biodiversity improvements and connected landscapes.
- SP35 Protected and Priority Species, addressing harm to species and appropriate mitigation.
The council also publishes a dedicated Biodiversity Net Gain guidance document and a May 2026 Planning Application Validation Checklist. That checklist requires appropriate statutory BNG information where applicable and can request separate ecology surveys for relevant site circumstances.
Some council checklist text still refers to obsolete national commencement dates or the former NSIP timetable. Follow the current national 2026 exemption/metric rules where those details differ.
Rotherham started a new Local Plan preparation process in October 2026. Its Call for Sites runs until 31 December 2026, while a formal scoping consultation is expected in 2027. None of those early submissions means a new site allocation or policy has already been adopted.
Use the Rotherham 2026 planning validation guidance and new Local Plan information.
Local planning guidance
Is Sheffield's proposed biodiversity policy already in force?
No. Sheffield's adopted development plan still comprises the Core Strategy adopted 4 March 2009 and relevant saved policies from the Sheffield Unitary Development Plan adopted 1998.
The replacement Sheffield Plan to 2039 remains under examination. The council consulted on Further Main Modifications from 14 September to 26 October 2026. Inspector consideration and a council adoption decision still need to take place.
The emerging plan includes:
- GS5 Biodiversity and Development, addressing habitat/species harm and enhancement.
- GS6 Biodiversity Net Gain, setting the proposed local approach to statutory BNG.
- GS7 Trees, Woodlands and Hedgerows, and related blue-green infrastructure policies.
These are draft policies, not proof that the new Sheffield Plan has replaced the 2009 Core Strategy.
Sheffield's planning application requirements
The council's current application guidance asks in-scope applicants for an appropriate BNG statement, completed statutory metric with baseline and draft post-development values, mapped UKHab habitats and any relevant irreplaceable habitat.
However, those locally requested planning documents do not change the national timing of the final Biodiversity Gain Plan, usually approved after permission and before commencement.
For sites inside Peak District National Park, check the Park Authority's planning process rather than treating Sheffield City Council as the ordinary decision-maker.
Adopted Sheffield Local Plan · Sheffield BNG application guidance.
Local planning guidance
Has the South Yorkshire Local Nature Recovery Strategy been published?
Not yet, as at 8 November 2026. The South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA) is the responsible authority for the city-region LNRS.
Public consultation on its draft ran from 19 June to 31 July 2026. The Mayoral Combined Authority Board approved the publication draft in principle on 27 October 2026, subject to the final statutory supporting-authority review.
Barnsley Council endorsed the strategy at Cabinet on 4 November 2026, but that endorsement does not itself establish publication of the final strategy.
The official Defra list still records South Yorkshire LNRS — In preparation. Meanwhile, the SYMCA website describes the final strategy as due for publication later in 2026.
What should a developer do now?
Use the draft LNRS and interactive consultation maps to understand emerging habitat priorities and nature-recovery opportunities. These can guide design discussions about rivers, wetlands, woodland, grassland, moorland, farmland and urban ecological corridors.
However, do not label the draft map a final published statutory Local Habitat Map. Nor should an ecologist award High strategic significance solely because a proposal sits in a draft mapped opportunity.
The current statutory metric's published-LNRS-absent rules and the actual council's interim guidance remain relevant until formal publication is confirmed.
Read SYMCA's LNRS status page and the consultation maps.
Local planning guidance
Can South Yorkshire draft nature-recovery maps increase BNG units?
A draft map alone is not enough to justify a High strategic-significance multiplier. The metric must be applied using current government guidance appropriate to whether an LNRS has been published.
| South Yorkshire evidence | Status on 8 November 2026 | Appropriate use |
|---|---|---|
| Draft SYMCA LNRS priorities and maps | Consulted June/July and approved in principle October; final publication pending | Identify suitable ecological opportunities and discuss habitat design, while not treating them as final statutory mapped measures. |
| Current statutory biodiversity metric user guide | National technical guidance in force | Use the user guide's rules for assigning strategic significance where no published LNRS is available. |
| Doncaster interim strategic-significance guidance | Council published guidance for mandatory BNG during LNRS preparation | Follow its current local evidence and the statutory user guide; older 2022 SPD paragraphs alone are not sufficient. |
| Relevant adopted local plans and ecological strategies | Each authority's operative planning policies, protected sites and networks | Consider specific ecological connectivity and habitat objectives with documented evidence. |
| Final South Yorkshire LNRS after formal publication | Not yet applicable as a published strategy | At publication or later assessment, use the correct final Local Habitat Map and updated metric guidance, not stale consultation layers. |
For an actual calculation, the ecologist should record the metric version, habitat parcel, applicable policy/strategy, chosen strategic significance and reasons. No automatic 15% uplift follows from draft LNRS overlap.
Local planning guidance
What ecological constraints and restoration opportunities matter locally?
Dearne Valley wetlands and former industrial land
The Dearne Valley, including RSPB Old Moor, contains wetland, reedbed, grassland, restored lagoons and urban green corridors. Former industrial and colliery land can also support open mosaic habitat on previously developed land, a potential priority habitat requiring careful survey.
Don, Dearne, Rother, Sheaf, Idle and Torne waterways
River corridors, tributaries, former gravel workings and floodplains can provide habitat links and nature-based flood-management opportunities. However, actual watercourse condition, connectivity and flood risk need professional evidence.
Where a proposed development affects a watercourse, a competent river condition assessment and the separate watercourse metric may be needed.
Humberhead peatlands and the Doncaster moors
Doncaster's eastern landscapes include Thorne Moor and Hatfield Moor, important remnants of lowland raised bog.
The area includes Thorne Moor SAC, Hatfield Moor SAC and Thorne and Hatfield Moors SPA. The SPA protects important breeding bird interests, including nightjar. Habitat restoration must consider peat, hydrology, bird disturbance and Habitats Regulations.
Peak District uplands and South Pennine Moors
Western Sheffield and Barnsley include landscapes within the Peak District National Park and near the South Pennine Moors SAC/SPA. Some development may require separate protected-site assessment and careful management of moorland, peat, recreation or water effects.
Species and ancient habitats
Bats, breeding birds, great crested newts, badgers, water voles, ancient woodland and hedgerows may require distinct surveys or avoidance. The biodiversity metric cannot replace species protection or Habitats Regulations Assessment.
Design first: Retain important habitats and avoid protected-site harm before considering new habitat creation or off-site unit purchases.
Local planning guidance
Seven checks before commissioning a South Yorkshire BNG assessment
Use this practical worksheet to organise your site's evidence. It does not automatically decide whether BNG is required or calculate biodiversity units.
| Evidence check | Record for the actual red-line site | Next decision |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Correct authority | Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham, Sheffield or Peak District National Park; note any recent boundary changes | Choose the operative adopted development plan and local validation list. |
| 2. Statutory eligibility | Application date, full site hectares, onsite priority habitat, development type and section 73 history | Check the current August 2026 exemptions and applicable hierarchy. |
| 3. Existing habitat baseline | UKHab map, habitat condition, hedgerows, watercourses, trees and protected species | Establish reliable habitat values and survey requirements. |
| 4. LNRS publication position | SYMCA final-publication status on application date; current draft or later final map | Use the correct national strategic-significance method, not automatic draft-map uplift. |
| 5. Other environmental constraints | Peak District, South Pennine Moors, Thorne/Hatfield Moors, watercourses, priority species | Identify separate HRA, species and watercourse evidence. |
| 6. Feasible gain delivery | Suitable onsite measures, registered offsite units, habitat trading and allocation evidence | Assess a realistic statutory BNG route without invented unit stock. |
| 7. Long-term stewardship | Land manager, legal security, funding, monitoring and gain-plan stage | Confirm significant habitats can be managed for the required period. |
Outcome: If the planning authority, baseline, LNRS status or designated-site pathways are uncertain, obtain proportionate ecological and planning advice before declaring the scheme BNG compliant.
Local planning guidance
What Biodiversity Net Gain documents should accompany the application?
For development subject to mandatory BNG, national planning application requirements normally include:
- A statement explaining whether the statutory BNG condition applies.
- The pre-development biodiversity value and relevant completed statutory metric, with tool version or publication date.
- A proposed earlier baseline date and reasons, if relevant.
- Habitat degradation information and supporting calculations where applicable.
- Details of irreplaceable habitat.
- A scaled plan showing existing habitats and a north point.
A local planning authority may request necessary, material and proportionate additional information under its validation list.
Barnsley has a March 2026 local list with ecology survey, protected-species and BNG supporting evidence triggers. Rotherham adopted a May 2026 list and publishes detailed guidance on applying statutory BNG to eligible proposals.
Sheffield requests baseline and draft post-development calculations and UKHab mapping in its current application guidance. Doncaster publishes an adopted BNG SPD and current mandatory BNG information. Its webpage also explains an intended local BNG Statement submission.
Always check the actual authority, development category and current exemption rules. A council's older document referring to mandatory BNG from 2024 does not override the August 2026 reforms.
The ACP BNG assessment service explains the supporting work we can help scope.
Local planning guidance
When is the final Biodiversity Gain Plan required?
For a permission subject to statutory BNG, the final Biodiversity Gain Plan is normally approved after planning permission and before development commences.
The original planning application needs enough BNG information for validation and assessment. Councils may also request draft delivery proposals or appropriate ecology reports early.
Significant onsite gains and registered offsite gains usually need legal security and appropriate Habitat Management and Monitoring Plans (HMMPs). These set out habitat creation/enhancement, management, monitoring and responsibilities over at least 30 years where statutory security applies.
The key question is not only whether the metric reaches 10%. Habitat improvements must also be feasible given the site's soils, flood regime, existing ecology, ownership and management budget.
For more detail, see our Biodiversity Gain Plan service and HMMP service.
Local planning guidance
Which biodiversity metric version applies in South Yorkshire?
The statutory biodiversity metric measures habitats before and after development using their type, area or length, condition, strategic significance and risk factors.
As at 8 November 2026, the latest government statutory tool is version 1.1.0, updated 3 November 2026. GOV.UK also allows the use of previously published statutory metric versions where appropriate.
Pre-statutory Biodiversity Metric 4.0 is not a current statutory submission tool. Some smaller eligible schemes can use the Small Sites Metric, but their actual habitats and development type must qualify.
The current South Yorkshire LNRS is still in preparation. Consequently, do not rely on its consultation map as if it were a fully published strategic-significance layer. Use the national metric rules and justified current local evidence.
See statutory biodiversity metric assessments and Small Sites Metric assessments.
Local planning guidance
Can developments use offsite biodiversity units in South Yorkshire?
Yes, where the biodiversity units are legally registered, correctly allocated, meet habitat trading rules and satisfy the applicable spatial-risk treatment.
For major development, the gain hierarchy normally prioritises suitable onsite gains before registered offsite delivery. For qualifying non-major applications submitted from 6 August 2026, onsite and registered offsite gains can be considered at the same hierarchy level. Statutory credits remain the last option.
Doncaster's Red House Farm habitat bank
City of Doncaster Council reports that its Red House Farm Habitat Bank, near Sandall Beat Wood, is registered on the national biodiversity gain sites register. It says the bank has units available to developers and that habitat creation began in late 2023, including grassland, trees, woodland and scrub.
This is a council-reported local registered bank, not evidence of the exact present quantity, unit type, price, allocation availability or suitability for every development on 8 November 2026.
Before procurement, check the live register and the council's current unit inventory and legal documents for your scheme.
The council was approved as a Responsible Body in September 2024 for relevant conservation covenants. That supports legal security but is not a substitute for actual registration and allocation evidence.
Read Doncaster's habitat bank guidance and our offsite biodiversity units guide.
Local planning guidance
What do local biodiversity planning records demonstrate?
The examples below are published council or conservation organisation evidence, not claims that ACP carried out the projects or that projected ecological gains have been delivered.
Sheffield: eight approved Biodiversity Gain Plans in its first duty report
Sheffield City Council's Biodiversity Duty Report for January 2024–December 2025, published in 2026, records 43 permissions subject to mandatory BNG and eight approved Biodiversity Gain Plans during that reporting period.
Of those eight gain plans, three used onsite gains only and five combined onsite and registered offsite gains. The report also warns that some full metric data were missing and had to be supplemented manually.
These are council-reported approvals and planned units. They are not proof that the habitat has achieved the intended ecological outcome after 30 years.
Doncaster: Red House Farm long-term habitat bank
Doncaster Council describes grassland, woodland, scrub and trees established at Red House Farm from late 2023, with management intended for 30 years.
The site is relevant as a local habitat-delivery example. However, an applicant must still check present unit stock, the register and the project-specific legal allocation.
Dearne Valley: RSPB Old Moor wetland restoration
The RSPB's Dearne Valley Old Moor reserve represents landscape-scale wetland, reedbed and grassland conservation in the Barnsley/Rotherham area.
Its environmental value demonstrates the importance of habitat suitability and long-term management. It is not presented as an ACP project or evidence of available statutory BNG units from the reserve.
See the Sheffield Biodiversity Duty Report, Doncaster habitat bank, and RSPB Dearne Valley Old Moor.
Local planning guidance
What affects the cost of a South Yorkshire BNG assessment?
The cost depends on site size, habitat condition, fieldwork, hedgerows, rivers, protected-species effects and the complexity of gain delivery.
| Cost type | Purpose | Qualification |
|---|---|---|
| Survey and statutory metric | UKHab baseline, condition assessment, biodiversity calculations and report | No verified standard South Yorkshire ecology-consultancy tariff. |
| Biodiversity Gain Plan and HMMP | Habitat design, legal security and long-term management evidence | Often different work stages from the initial application. |
| Registered offsite biodiversity units | Securing legally available units matching a project's habitat shortfall | Stock, unit type, spatial risk and present price need actual procurement evidence. |
| Designated-site HRA and species work | South Pennine Moors, Thorne/Hatfield Moors or other protected-site pathways | Separate from statutory BNG and not removed by buying units. |
| Council costs and legal monitoring | Applicable fees, planning obligations, long-term checks | Scheme and authority specific; not one region-wide fixed figure. |
Doncaster's older SPD public webpage quotes £27,500 per biodiversity unit as its former pre-mandatory statutory BNG offsetting contribution. The council expressly says it does not apply to applications under the mandatory regime.
Therefore, do not use that historic number as a present 2026 BNG unit price or as an ACP quotation.
For wider budgeting see our BNG costs and pricing guide.
Local planning guidance
A practical BNG assessment process
A useful South Yorkshire BNG assessment connects the site evidence with the planning route, design and long-term delivery. We agree the scope around your proposal and the information already available.
Locate the planning route
Confirm Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham, Sheffield or the Peak District National Park Authority. Use the applicable adopted plan and current application requirements for the actual site.
Establish the ecological baseline
Survey the habitats and condition relevant to the proposal. River Don and Dearne corridors, urban sites, woodland and protected peatlands need different evidence and design responses.
Explain the metric assumptions
Apply current statutory rules and appropriate local strategic-significance guidance while the final South Yorkshire LNRS remains unpublished. Keep habitat calculations separate from protected-site assessments.
Secure a practical delivery route
Coordinate retained habitats, proposed gains and any registered off-site allocation. Prepare the information needed for gain-plan approval and legally secured habitat management.
Share your red-line plan, planning stage, proposed layout and any existing ecological reports so we can discuss the next steps.
Local planning guidance
South Yorkshire Biodiversity Net Gain FAQs
Is 10% BNG required across South Yorkshire?
Normally, qualifying development must achieve 10% statutory BNG. The national rules include exemptions and transitional arrangements. Protected species, ecological networks and designated sites may still need separate assessment when statutory BNG is exempt.
Which councils cover South Yorkshire?
Barnsley, City of Doncaster, Rotherham and Sheffield are the four metropolitan planning authorities. Inside the mapped Peak District National Park, the Park Authority handles relevant planning applications. SYMCA prepares strategic nature recovery but does not decide ordinary housing applications.
Has the South Yorkshire LNRS been officially published?
Not as of 8 November 2026. SYMCA approved the publication draft in principle on 27 October, subject to final supporting-authority review. The government's responsible-authority register still says “In preparation”. Publication should be rechecked before any metric or public page update.
Can a draft South Yorkshire LNRS map create a High strategic-significance score?
Not automatically. Until the strategy is formally published, use the current statutory biodiversity metric's absence-of-published-LNRS methodology and appropriate local adopted/interim guidance. An unverified draft polygon alone is not proof of a High multiplier.
Is Barnsley's Biodiversity and Geodiversity SPD current?
Barnsley adopted an updated Biodiversity and Geodiversity SPD on 28 March 2024 to support BIO1 and GI1. It remains relevant alongside the adopted 2019 Local Plan and current national statutory BNG exemptions.
Does Doncaster's £27,500 biodiversity-unit figure apply now?
No, not as a standard statutory BNG unit price. Doncaster explicitly limits that former council offsetting contribution to applications made before mandatory BNG commenced. Registered offsite unit prices for a current project need separate verified quotations.
Is Rotherham's new Local Plan adopted?
No. Rotherham uses its adopted 2014 Core Strategy and 2018 Sites and Policies document. A new plan started preparation in 2026, with a Call for Sites to 31 December. Site promotion does not grant consent or make new policies binding.
Has the new Sheffield Plan replaced the 2009 Core Strategy?
No. Sheffield's emerging Plan was still under examination after a Further Main Modifications consultation ending 26 October 2026. Draft GS5 and GS6 are not adopted policy. The 2009 Core Strategy and applicable saved 1998 UDP remain operative.
Can a site of 0.2 hectares or less be exempt from BNG?
Applications made from 6 August 2026 may qualify where the whole red-line site is no greater than 0.2 hectares and no onsite priority habitat is affected. Other legal conditions and section 73 transitions need checking.
Does BNG compensate for harm to protected peatland or SPA habitats?
No. South Pennine Moors and Thorne/Hatfield Moors have separate internationally important habitat or bird designations. A proposal may require Habitats Regulations Assessment, avoidance or mitigation independent of the statutory BNG metric.
Which statutory biodiversity metric version should be used?
The latest published tool on 8 November 2026 is v1.1.0, updated on 3 November. GOV.UK permits other published statutory tool versions. Pre-statutory Metric 4.0 is not an accepted statutory tool, and Small Sites Metric use has separate eligibility conditions.
What should I send ACP for a South Yorkshire BNG quotation?
Provide the red-line site plan, postcode, proposed works, available ecology studies and planning deadline. If known, identify the council, any Peak District boundary, watercourse, peatland or protected-site constraint, and earlier permission history.
Local planning guidance
Discuss Biodiversity Net Gain for your South Yorkshire development
Share the site location, red-line drawing, proposed works and planning timetable. ACP can help identify proportionate habitat surveys, statutory metric evidence and practical gain delivery.
Request a South Yorkshire BNG assessment quotation or Contact ACP Consultants.
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.
Request a site-specific quotation
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South Yorkshire BNG
Sources and references
Reviewed 10 November 2026.
National BNG guidance
County planning and nature recovery
- Barnsley's adopted Local Plan
- current SPDs
- Doncaster mandatory BNG guidance
- its adopted BNG SPD and strategic-significance guidance
- Rotherham 2026 planning validation guidance
- new Local Plan information
- Adopted Sheffield Local Plan
- Sheffield BNG application guidance
- SYMCA's LNRS status page
- consultation maps
- Doncaster's habitat bank guidance
- Sheffield Biodiversity Duty Report
- RSPB Dearne Valley Old Moor
- Doncaster adopted Local Plan
- Peak District National Park planning