CIEEM CEnv Blog | Are Local Planning Authorities ready to monitor mandatory BNG?

Mandatory Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) is a transformational opportunity to reverse decades-long declines in our natural environment. It’s exciting: protecting and enhancing nature is why many of us chose our careers, and BNG brings a bigger role for ecology in the planning system. But implementing BNG also creates a host of new requirements for Local Planning Authorities (LPAs), including collecting and scrutinising large amounts of data at planning application stage and over the following 30 years. LPAs are legally required to deliver this, when their planners and ecologists are already overstretched.

Richard Marsh MCIEEM and Dr Mikael Forup CEnv MCIEEM