Source · Select Committees · Environmental Audit Committee
Recommendation 35
35
Accepted
Maintain steadfast commitment to implementing biodiversity net gain policy to avoid market uncertainty.
Recommendation
At such an early stage it is difficult to assess the full impacts of the biodiversity net gain policy. The Government should remain steadfast in its commitment to implementation of this policy: any indication that it could be rolled back would cause uncertainty in the market and would have a negative impact on investment in nature restoration initiatives. (Recommendation, Paragraph 170) 61
Government Response Summary
The government states its continued support for the BNG policy, demonstrating this commitment by outlining two recently launched consultations on applying BNG to NSIPs (due May 2026) and improving BNG for minor and brownfield developments.
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
Response to recommendation 16 & 20: The government continues to support BNG policy. We have recently launched two BNG consultations. The first is on applying BNG to NSIPs. The development of high-quality nature-positive infrastructure will support the Government’s mission of achieving sustainable economic growth to improve the prosperity of our country. BNG will be introduced for NSIPs from May 2026, and this consultation is seeking views on how BNG should be applied to NSIPs. The second consultation is on improving BNG for minor and brownfield development. This consultation is focused mainly on SME developers. It includes options around extending exemptions, simplifying the small sites metric and increasing ease of access to the off-site market to make it easier, quicker and cheaper for SME developers to deliver their BNG requirements. It also addresses specific challenges for brownfield developments. The government is committed to delivering sustained economic growth, as set out in our Plan for Change, and to building 1.5 million homes by the end of this Parliament. At the same time, we are committed to halting and reversing the decline of nature. BNG provides a clear framework to ensure development leaves biodiversity in a measurably better state, delivering health and wellbeing benefits to local communities, providing wider benefits for climate change adaptation and mitigation and contributing to our legally binding Environment Act 2021 targets for biodiversity.