Biodiversity Net Gain - Manchester

The Biodiversity Net Gain approach is a commitment to promote biodiversity net gain (i.e. leaving biodiversity in a better state than before) across the Manchester City Region in the United Kingdom. This approach forms part of the Five Year Environment Plan for Greater Manchester (2019-2024). The instrument - which is anticipated to become mandatory through the forthcoming Environment Act in 2023 - requires all developments under the Town and Country Planning Act to achieve a net gain for biodiversity of 10%. The approach is underpinned by a set of good practice principles whose compliance must be explained as part of a planning application to ensure that the plans are robust and foster Biodiversity Net Gain. In addition, five sequential phases are proposed to show how net gains in biodiversity can be integrated into the development and assessment process. A system of ‘biodiversity units’ is used to measure biodiversity before and after site development.

Overview

Type of instrument:

Legislative, regulatory and strategic instruments›Urban planning mechanisms

Challenges addressed

Ecologic connectivity
Soil quality
Nature appropriation / stewardship
Human health, comfort and well-being

Consideration of nature-based solutions:

By creating, enhancing and restoring new habitats, nature-based solutions are delivered to the region. A net biodiversity gain of 10% for all development projects is a significant target, underpinned by a robust assessment process to identify a before-and-after biodiversity assessment so that biodiversity benefits can be monitored and associated societal co-benefits are represented.

Targeted (peri-)urban areas:

Derelict areas

Urban green space connected to grey infrastructure

Good practice characteristics:

Support multifunctional NBS

Sustainable in the long-term

Potential to be replicated / upscaled

Policy business case

Governance

Government body/bodies

Initiating body:

Manchester City Council, Department of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Instrument design:

Details about how the instrument was designed:

Biodiversity Net Gain is already part of the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) under the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government. However, the NPPF does not specify a number/percentage for the gain. The latest update to the forthcoming Environment Bill includes a requirement for all future schemes including the development of land to deliver a mandatory 10 % biodiversity net gain. The system of ‘biodiversity units’ used to measure biodiversity before and after site development is a quantitative assessment of habitats developed by the Department for Environment Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA).

Instrument implementation:

Type of involvement:

If the forthcoming Environment Bill (currently proposed in a draft version) includes the requirement that all future projects, including land development, must deliver a mandatory net biodiversity gain of 10%. This will apply to all citizens involved in development projects. Developers will need to consider practical measures that will foster a culture of engagement on a project. Consultation should be proportionate to the scale of development/impact. Within the Greater Manchester area, these stakeholders could include the local community, the Local Nature Partnership, and the Greater Manchester Ecology Unit. If Biodiversity Net Gain cannot be delivered on site and an offset is required, other bodies (e.g. local landowners, conservation organisations) should be engaged as potential offset providers. The Greater Manchester Ecology Unit oversees the reviewing and assessing of a Biodiversity Net Gain Assessment, checking if the legislation and the principles have been followed.

Targeted actors:

Public sector institution (e.g. school or hospital)

Private: household, real estate developer, business , financial

Financing

Sources of funding:

Corporate investment

Budget:

Unknown

Details about instrument financing:

The proposed “Habitat Bank Facility” is intended to attract repayable finance to create and restore habitats at a city region scale while providing verified Biodiversity Net Gain Credits to developers. (Re-)payment for measures to ensure net gains in biodiversity must come from the developers themselves.

Monitoring, evaluation and impacts

Is a monitoring framework in place?:

Yes

For all developments, an outline or a full planning application requires a description of how the development has taken each of the 10 Biodiversity Net Gain Good Practice Principles into account and delivered against each of these. In addition, an assessment will need to be undertaken that includes frequent written reports including a survey report and an updated management plan every five years. If an offset is required, offset providers will need to be able to identify offset sites and put in place the management, monitoring and reporting required to deliver the biodiversity gains required.

Achieved outcomes and impacts:

As the biodiversity net gain approach is still in an early implementation phase and the 10% measure is not yet enshrined in law, no assessment of the results and impacts achieved can be made yet.

Success factors and lessons learned:

The development of biodiversity units is a key element in making biodiversity measurable and enabling site-specific monitoring and evaluation before (i.e. baseline) and after the development project. A biodiversity net gain can be claimed if the biodiversity unit score for all features (area-based habitats, hedges or rivers) has increased by at least 10 %. This is required for each habitat type of Principle importance, each broad habitat type, for hedges, rivers and the area-based habitats as well as for the overarching figure. In this way, the integrity of the ecosystems is sufficiently taken into account. The proposed "Habitat Bank Facility" ensures promising financial opportunities, which is also a key to the success.

Sources and further information

Further documents

Weblinks:

https://www.greatermanchester-ca.gov.uk/what-we-do/environment/natural-environme…

https://www.biomatrixwater.com/bridgewater-basin-manchester/

Photos

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