Braintree District Council secures its first ever Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) Section 106 agreement through the planning process, with 1.3 hectares of new grassland and scrub being created.
Braintree District Council secures its first ever Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) Section 106 agreement through the planning process, with 1.3 hectares of new grassland and scrub being created at Spains Hall Estate in Finchingfield.
A planning application for a battery storage facility near a substation in Cressing required BNG to be delivered. BNG is a mandatory requirement introduced by the Environment Act 2021, that requires developers to achieve at least a 10% increase in biodiversity on their developments. If a developer is unable to achieve 10% or more BNG onsite, they can explore opportunities to deliver off-site or buy statutory credits.
In this instance, the battery storage facility planning application was unable to deliver 10% BNG on site. The developer subsequently reached out to Spains Hall Estate, who collaborated with them to deliver the 10% BNG provision off-site, which was supported by Braintree District Council through the planning process, the first of its kind in the Braintree district. The BNG for this development was agreed prior to the new regulations coming into force.
Braintree District Council provide developers with Biodiversity Net Gain guidance which is used in considering planning matters to contribute to the recovery of nature while developing land, making sure the habitat for wildlife is in a better state than it was before development.
The area of 1.3 hectares of new grassland and scrub will be created and maintained at Spains Hall Estate, for at least the next 30 years. Spains Hall is a well-known estate for its mixture of arable land, ancient and broadleaved woodland, grassland, tenanted farms, and a ground-breaking beaver and natural flood management project.
Cllr Gabrielle Spray, Cabinet Member for Planning at Braintree District Council, said: “This project is a fantastic example of the work that can be done in the district to enhance the biodiversity value of wildlife corridors and make use of land to create a more environmentally sustainable future through the planning process.
“We continue to utilise the Section 106 process to bring in additional funding to benefit our communities, and work with developers to secure a range of measures both on and off site to help improve sustainability, the environment and play our part in responding to climate change.”
Archie Ruggles-Brise, Estate Manager of Spains Hall Estate, said, “This deal fits brilliantly alongside our transition to sustainable farming and other nature-based projects as we aim to restore over 100 hectares of wildlife habitats on the farm. Credit should go to the team at Braintree District Council as their collaborative approach was instrumental in getting it done. We hope this will help establish the Braintree District as a focus for sustainable development that results in nature recovery as well as economic growth.”