This section sets out the Council’s actions to meet statutory BNG obligations under the Environment Act 2021, including details of any biodiversity gain plans approved during the reporting period, outcomes achieved, and plans for future BNG delivery.

Summary of the actions carried out to meet biodiversity net gain obligations

During the reporting period, the London Borough of Bexley has taken a range of preparatory and procedural actions to meet its statutory Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) obligations under the Environment Act 2021 and associated regulations.

BNG requirements have been incorporated into development management processes, including validation, consultation, and decision-making stages, and are now routinely considered through pre-application discussions and planning application assessments.

Officers have engaged with national guidance, the statutory biodiversity metric, and emerging best practice to ensure a consistent and proportionate approach to BNG across applicable development proposals.

The Council has also worked to raise awareness of BNG requirements among applicants and agents, ensuring that ecological information, metric calculations, and draft BNG proposals are submitted at an early stage where relevant. Internal processes continue to be refined to support future approval, monitoring, and enforcement of BNG Plans as applications progress through the system.

Details of biodiversity gains resulting, or expected to result, from biodiversity gain plans approved

Between 12 February 2024 and 31 December 2025, 24 planning applications subject to mandatory Biodiversity Net Gain were approved by the Local Planning Authority, comprising 6 major and 18 minor developments. While these permissions are required to comply with Biodiversity Net Gain, Biodiversity Gain Plans as a requirement of the statutory BNG condition, have not yet been submitted to or approved by the Local Planning Authority during this reporting period. Consequently, biodiversity gains have not yet been formally confirmed through approved Biodiversity Gain Plans, which are approved post-permission, prior to commencement of development.

Biodiversity gains are expected to be reported in future reporting periods once Biodiversity Gain Plans are submitted and approved. The Council’s Local Plan monitoring report, produced annually, also includes an indicator to track planning approvals securing measurable net gains for biodiversity.

Summary of plans to meet biodiversity net gain obligations in the next reporting period

In the next reporting period, the Council will focus on progressing applications subject to BNG towards the approval of Biodiversity Gain Plans, ensuring that proposals are robust, policy-compliant, and deliver genuine, measurable biodiversity improvements. This will include continued engagement with applicants to address technical matters such as metric calculations, habitat condition assessments, delivery mechanisms, and long-term management arrangements.

The Council will also continue to develop its internal processes for BNG implementation, including monitoring and reporting arrangements, and will keep its processes under review as national guidance and best practice evolve.

Future Biodiversity Duty reports and the Council’s Local Plan monitoring report will provide updates on approved Biodiversity Gain Plans and the biodiversity outcomes secured through the planning system as the BNG regime becomes embedded in routine development management.