Shropshire Farming Talk: Selling Biodiversity Net Gain credits on less productive land
With a likely increase in housebuilding on greenfield sites, there is a growing opportunity for selling Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) credits from less productive areas of land.
It is now a statutory requirement for developers to provide at least 10 per cent BNG for each new development.
This could be achieved with on-site or off-site biodiversity enhancement, or by purchasing biodiversity credits, either from the Government or, preferably, from local landowners with a BNG site.
Credits arise from a biodiversity gain from a measured baseline level.
Therefore, a baseline assessment must be undertaken to measure the current “biodiversity value” of a site and a further measurement taken after the quality of the site has been improved.
From this, the number of BNG units that a site holds can be determined.
Then the units can be registered and sold.
Landowners are legally obliged to maintain the site for 30 years.
For more information or advice, please contact me on 01743 450700 or 07984 363287.
by Ben Dutton, Rural Chartered Surveyor at Halls.
