England is launching a biodiversity credit scheme this week that attempts to force all new road and housebuilding projects to benefit nature, rather than damage it.
The “nature market”, called biodiversity net gain (BNG), means all new building projects must achieve a 10% net gain in biodiversity or habitat. If a woodland is destroyed by a road, for example, another needs to be recreated. This can happen either on site or elsewhere.
The requirement becomes law under the Town and Country Planning Act on 12 February for larger sites, and on 2 April 2024 for smaller sites.
Wow, some genuinely smart and wide ranging legislation! I didn't think the Tories had it in them!
Internationally, “it’s one of the most ambitious schemes we’ve seen”, said Duffus. “Other places are watching us and seeing how it unfolds. If done well I think it could inspire a lot of other markets to develop in different countries.”
Those already hoping to copy the idea or use it to develop their own include Sweden, Singapore, Scotland and Wales, she said.
Isn't it nice to be a world leader in something good for a change? Surely there's a cloud on the horizon though?
However, regulators lack the staff to check the pledged habitat benefits actually materialise. Zu Ermgassen was part of a study that found that more than a quarter of BNG units are at risk of leading to no tangible increases in biodiversity because there is no monitoring system in place.
Ah. Of course. Once again, ambition is brought low by lack of support.
Remember everything the government does it fucks up.
ReplyDeleteThis is similar to the time our council would only approve building more than 10 houses if there was a pond or play area and affordable housing as part of it.
The affordable housing was fine, they simply stole that from the builder and put that in their portfolio as well as the fee for approving it. The play areas not so good. The builders built them but obviously when they left it was over to the council to maintain and soon they were roped off because they were unsafe and used as a dumping ground and a meeting place for teenagers.
Yes, quite! There's a lot of stuff installed under initiatives of one sort or other in my neighbourgood that was left to the council to maintain. With unsurprising results.
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