What are significant onsite gains?
Significant onsite gains are areas of habitat enhancement which contribute significantly to your development’s BNG relative to the biodiversity value before development.
What counts as significant depends on the existing habitats within your development site and the scale of development you are proposing.
Examples of significant onsite gains include (but are not limited to):
- retained habitats which are being enhanced
- new amenity and structural landscape planting, including street trees and wildflower road verges
- extensive (biodiverse) green roofs
- new native woodlands and mixed native scrub, orchards and hedgerows
- wildflower meadows and areas of tussocky grassland
- new ponds, wetlands and SuDS (such as swales, ditches and rain gardens)
- de-culverted and re-naturalised watercourses
Planting within the curtilage of private dwellings may contribute to a development’s BNG, but would not be considered as significant.
Significant onsite gains must be maintained for a minimum of 30 years after your development is completed so that they achieve the stated target habitat condition. They must be legally secured by planning condition, section 106 agreement or conservation covenant.
View more information about significant onsite gains.
Page last updated: 12 February 2024
