Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 16 December 2025 to Question 96696 on Roads: Biodiversity, what estimate she has made of the average cost for each Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project of (a) voluntarily delivering biodiversity net gain (BNG) prior to May 2026, (b) delivering BNG on a compulsory basis during the third Road Period and (c) delivering BNG overall for schemes (i) currently under construction or (ii) in the delivery pipeline.

The department does not estimate the average cost of voluntary biodiversity net gain for Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects on the Strategic Road Network. Biodiversity net gain provisions are determined on a project by project basis and assessed as part of the consenting process where relevant. The Roads Period 3 pipeline has not yet been finalised, and currently no schemes fall within the scope of mandatory biodiversity net gain requirements; therefore, no overall estimate has been made.