Management and monitoring
Significant on-site BNG, and all off-site BNG, will be required to be managed and monitored for a period of 30 years.
Whether on-site habitat is considered to be significant will vary depending on the scale of development and existing habitat but would normally be:
- habitats of medium or higher distinctiveness in the Biodiversity Metric
- habitats of low distinctiveness which create a large number of biodiversity units relative to the value of the site before development
- habitat creation or enhancement where distinctiveness is increased relative to the distinctiveness of the habitat before development
- area of habitat creation which are significant in an area relative to the size of the development
- enhancements to habitat condition, for example from poor or moderate to good
It will be the landowner or developer’s responsibility to ensure monitoring and reporting obligations are fulfilled.
Monitoring should be proportionate. The number of monitoring assessments will depend on the size of the proposal, and the habitat types and extent, but it's envisaged that typically reports will be required for years: 2, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25 and 30.
As a minimum, reports should include a summary of habitat type, extent and condition, with a comparison against the expected condition proposed within the submitted Biodiversity Net Gain Plan.
A Habitat Management & Monitoring Plan (HMMP) template is available for use.