Guide : Purchasing Large Site BNG Units

We’ve created this guide for purchasing Large Site BNG Units. We categorise Large Site BNG as anything over 0.10 (10 hundredths of a BNG Unit) up to 100 unit mega developments.

The guide hopefully lays out the process for you to make it simple and easy to understand at each stage, but also we’ve developed this method working hundreds of developers over the last 2 years to deliver BNG in the most cost effective way, whilst ensuring you aren’t paying for anything too early - when there’s risk to whether your planning application is approved or not.

1. Ensuring you have the right information

You will need a few things in order to get started buying BNG Units:

1. Ecologists report & DEFRA Metric - provided by your Ecologist

2. Estimated date you’ll be going into planning

3. Estimated date you’ll start construction

4. Details about your company and project to hand

If you haven’t got a DEFRA Metric and Ecologist report we recommend Arbtech - email them here - once they’ve done their work you can come back to us to help buy your BNG Units.

2. Contact us about the project

Contact us via our online form at: https://biodiversity-units.uk/contact-us or email us at info@biodiversity-units.uk

Please include a few details about your proposed development taken from the information above:

• DEFRA Metric and Ecologist report

• Postcode of development

• Planning dates and estimated construction timelines

3. Checking your requirements

Once received, our Habitat Specialist will review your DEFRA Metric and confirm your BNG Requirements. 

At this point we’ll suggest a kickoff meeting to talk you through the process, how we’ll source your units and find out more from you about your development. From experience these meeting are essential and often help us educate clients on the BNG process, but also more often than not by doing this we find out details about your project that help us to save you money on your BNG solution.

We might be able to advise you on ways to adjust your BNG requirements. This will save you money but may involve some back and forth with your ecologist which we’re happy to help with.

We recognise that Ecologists priorities are not always the same as Developers commercial interests, nor do they understand the various scarcities or costs of certain habitats, so we try to help suggest the best BNG solution that suits your project.

In addition, by understanding your project timelines and commercial needs we might be able to find you suppliers who’s development timelines match your requirements.

4. Giving you a cost & ensuring you have the right documents

We’ll then provide you with a quote, detailing the unit types and cost breakdown. 

If you want to proceed, we’ll get you two documents that will show your LPA you have a BNG solution in place:

• Letter of Support

• BNG Solution Methodology

You will then need to supply these 2 documents to your local planning authority as part of your planning application.

Please note: Depending on your commercial circumstances or scarcity you may want to consider reserving units with a deposit. In most Large Site BNG deals a deposit pre planning is not normally required. Deposits reserve the units for 4 months and are refundable in the event there is any problem with the BNG Solution we have offered. But not in the event you fail planning for a non BNG related matter.

5. Once Planning is approved, reserve your units

When your planning application has been approved, you should secure your units with a deposit. We’ll send you an invoice for a 10% deposit (this reserves your units for 4 months). Once paid we will issue you with 2 documents:

• Letter of Reservation

• Updated Solution Methodology

7. Complete on your BNG Unit purchase

Within 4 months, or before construction begins you must complete your BNG Units purchase and pay the remaining 90%. So when you are ready, get back in touch with us to complete your purchase.

Remember your deposit only reserves the units for 4 months, so whichever comes first commencement or this date - you should complete the purchase ahead of time.

We will then send you the final invoice for the remaining amount. On receipt of payment we will send over your contract with your BNG Supplier to sign electronically.

You will need to share your:

• Biodiversity Gain Plan (This should be filled in by you or your architect with the exception of Section 7 which will be filled in by your Supplier)

• Planning Consent

8. What we’ll provide on Completion

On receipt of these documents and a signed contract, your units will be registered. 

We will supply you with:

• A completed DEFRA Metric

• A unique number for your purchase (to use in the Biodiversity Gain Plan

• Signed purchase agreement & habitat management plan

Send these documents to your LPA in order to get your BNG condition removed

That’s it - you’re ready to go!