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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what proportion of planning applications under the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 have claimed the de minimis exemption from biodiversity net gain each year since 2024.

As set out previously in Government consultation responses, any changes to the de minimis exemption for biodiversity net gain will be considered in the round and alongside other BNG reforms. The new 0.2-hectare exemption which came into force on 6 August 2026 is expected to significantly reduce the number of developments claiming the de minimis exemption. Planning Portal data for August 2026 shows that use of the de minimis exemption more than halved, from 81% in July 2026 to 37% in August 2026 following the introduction of the 0.2-hectare exemption. The Government expect similar trends going forward. Prior to 6 August, roughly 80% of planning applications have been exempt from BNG, with around 80% of those exempt claiming the de minimis exemption