Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department is taking to steps to (a) amend processes for applying for biodiversity net gain exemptions and (b) require developers to provide objective evidence that an exemption applies before it can be claimed.

The Government has announced its intention to introduce changes to biodiversity net gain (BNG), including a new area-based exemption set at 0.2 hectares. Full details will be set out in the consultation response to be published shortly.

BNG applies to planning permission in England granted under the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 unless exempt, and local authorities should check applications to determine if the development should be subject to the biodiversity gain condition.