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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 21 February 2025 to Question 30440 on Housing: Construction, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of enabling developers to meet biodiversity net gain through off-site credits.

The biodiversity gain hierarchy makes clear that a developer should first look to deliver their 10% BNG on-site. If they cannot achieve all or part of the 10% on-site, they must achieve the BNG off-site either on their own land, or by purchasing biodiversity units through the off-site market. If the type of units they need are unavailable in the market, they can purchase statutory biodiversity credits as a last resort.

Developers must follow this hierarchy as set out in legislation. The Government is working with stakeholders to monitor the implementation of BNG to make sure it is working as intended.