The BNG process is cumbersome and complex. In simple terms it involves a number of key stages, which run from the calculation of the initial biodiversity footprint of the land, through how that biodiversity will be enhanced, agreement with the Local Planning Authority and Government agencies and sale of newly created BNG units to a developer.
Each is covered briefly below:
1 - A Baseline Footprint and Plan for Enhancement
This requires qualified ecologists to examine the land and indicate what its value is before any enhancement - this is called the baseline.
Then the ecologists look at how the land can be improved in biodiversity terms. A draft plan is drawn up to set out the work that will be undertaken and its BNG value. As part of this a maintenance and monitoring plan is also required.
The sort of work involved might be tending hedgerows, planting more trees, development of wildflower meadow areas, thinning the canopy of trees, removing invasive species and so on.
2 - Decisions
The Golf club considers the plans and makes any amendments that are required. Ultimately a decision is taken on the scope of the project, which will include its estimated value.
3 - Liaison with the Local Planning Authority
The way that the provisions have been set up, there has to be an agreement with either the Local Planning Authority under s106 of the Planning Act or a conservation covenant with a registered body. This provision is to ensure that the plans are sound and well thought out, realistic and can be achieved. It is also to ensure that there is an enforceable contract with an external body who will take enforcement action if the work is not properly carried out.
4 - Registration with Natural England
The body Natural England keeps the list of BNG ‘gain sites’ which are those sites where the work above has been completed and is then examined and verified. Once this is done, the land is listed as a BNG gain site and the BNG units can be put up for sale.
5 - Sale of the units to a Developer
Once the supplier side of the equation has been completed, as above, a purchaser for the BNG units has to be found. There are various complications with this, such as the developer has to buy the same type and number of BNG units as those that will be lost in its development process. It may take some time to complete the sale of all BNG units.
6 - The Work is Undertaken
One of the counter-intuitive aspects of the BNG process is that all of the work in steps 1-5 above is completed before any work to the golf course is actually commenced. This is because if the work had to be undertaken first, golf clubs would have a major cashflow issue (which would be a major deterrent).
As it is, the golf club can enter into a contract for the sale of the units to the builder before the work is done and is therefore guaranteed payment as long as the works are carried out to plan. This substantially de-risks the project.
7 - The Maintenance Work
The BNG units that have been created are then maintained for the minimum 30 year period, usually by the greenkeeping staff. This work will be monitored and inspected by the Local Planning Authority under the s106 agreement.
