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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what consideration she has given to reviewing the requirement for planning applications to deliver a 10% Biodiversity Net Gain where a site is otherwise unviable and a considerable period of time has passed since the development site came forward.

In April 2026, the Government announced a package of reforms to Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) to make it quicker, cheaper and easier for developers. This includes a new 0.2 hectare exemption which came into effect on 6 August 2026 and forthcoming changes to how priority habitat mosaics on brownfield sites are assessed and compensated for. Government continues to focus on implementing those changes already announced.