Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) Call for Sites
BNG Call for Sites – Summer 2024
As part of the Colchester Local Plan Review, the Council are inviting submissions of potential offsite Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) sites.
BNG is a way of creating and improving natural habitats. By law, the biodiversity value of a development site will need to increase by 10%. In some cases, the developer will be able to achieve this within the site itself, for example by creating new natural features. In cases where 10% BNG can't be achieved on the site, developers can pay other landowners elsewhere to carry out habitat improvements on their behalf. BNG provides landowners the opportunity to make money while also supporting nature[1].
Offsite BNG must be registered on the national Biodiversity Gain Site Register, which is operated by Natural England on behalf of Defra, and outside of the scope of the Local Plan. The Council are inviting submission of potential offsite BNG.
Submissions can be made directly via the icon below. This includes the ability to either upload a GIS file of the site boundary or drawing the boundary directly into our mapping system. Additional documents to support your submission can also be uploaded.
Please provide as much information as possible and avoid leaving questions blank if possible.
A separate form should be completed for each site.
Please only submit a site if it is for BNG – other uses will not be accepted.
It is important to note that submitting a site at this stage is not a commitment but an expression of interest to explore this further. The submitted BNG sites will be evaluated for their potential and opportunities to contribute to BNG by consultants acting on behalf of the Council. Following evaluation, offsite BNG sites could be shown on the Local Plan policies maps.
Submissions will only be accepted by the landowner or agent acting on behalf of the landowner.
Click this icon to submit a Call for Sites form
[1] See government website and Essex County Council guidance for further information about BNG: Biodiversity net gain - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
