by Holly Chapman | 30 Apr 26 | Landscape Architecture, Nature & Biodiversity, News
Vista London has unveiled plans for a greener South Bank, a cultural hub in the heart of London.
The landscape design will be spearheaded by bath-based landscape architects Grant Associates, featuring landscaped terraces and balconies which will provide easy access to fresh air and greenery throughout the day.
A wetland roof will be positioned with bird nesting boxes to encourage nature into the centre of the site, while new walking routes will connect Upper Ground with Queen’s walk and the river Thames.
Across the site, extensive planting will be evident, amounting to a 60% biodiversity net gain, “helping to create a healthier place to send time,” says Vista.
The 640,000m2 site will include workplaces, retail spaces, green space, a rooftop restaurant and bar.
Completion for a greener South Bank is expected during the second quarter of 2029.
by Bethany Vann | 12 Feb 26 | Nature & Biodiversity, News
Biodiversity net gain welcomes in its second year with arguably its biggest change on the horizon.
In February 2024 the UK government introduced a new set of nature-focused regulations across England, primarily targeted at addressing declining wildlife numbers.
In the time since, biodiversity net gain (BNG) has amassed a wide-spread multi-sector reputation, continued to be a popular topic of discussion and has contributed millions to the UK economy.
Now entering into its second year, there are some big changes coming to the legislation.
Late last year, the government announced that developments below 0.2 hectares would be exempt from delivering the mandatory 10% uplift.
This decision has been met with mixed opinions across the industry, but it is ultimately aimed at speeding up the planning process in the hopes to get Britain building again.
Rachael Emous-Austin MSGLD, director of Austin Design Works comments on the decision, saying:
“If BNG is not achieved, this is entirely at the expense of nature. 0.2 hectares is not a little amount of land.”
While ecologist Peter Massini says this adaptation is a “reasonably good outcome”, but advises we air on the side of caution in case of “devils in the details.”
Both Austin and Massini – also joined by Helmrig’s Dave Gallagher – share their thoughts and advice on the upcoming changes in the Biodiversity Net Gain Special, in partnership with Lindum Turf, in the February edition of Pro Landscaper.
With arguably more changes set to come following the government’s upcoming consultation on smaller residential developments on brownfield land also becoming exempt, it would be safe to say BNG will continue to be a topical subject for many more months, even years, to come.
Read the full Special here.
by The Pro Landscaper Team | 05 Feb 26 | Digital Editions
Come rain or come shine, it’s undeniable that the first signs of spring are starting to break through the winter fog, bringing with them whispers of change on the horizon.
While normally a surprise, one major change we know is coming is the upcoming change to the biodiversity net gain legislation – which also celebrates its second anniversary this month.
With that in mind, we’ve put together a dedicated BNG Special, within the pages of our February issue. Bringing together voices throughout the industry to share their thoughts and insights on the legislations continued evolution.
Plus, much more – all of which can be found in this latest edition.
In this issue:
- Let’s Hear It From…Luke Hammill. From team investments to pursuing the latest technology, Luke Hammill reveals the journey behind founding Sky High and what sets it apart.
- Continuing a Legacy. Jamie Butterworth shares how he is honouring Chobham’s plant nursery heritage with the acquisition of Jacksons Nursery.
- The Complete Service. As The Landscape Service expands to include a full in-house design and build service, Luke Mills shares the inspirations behind the move.
Don’t miss our biodiversity net gain Special, in partnership with Lindum Turf
- Making an Exemption. Rachael Emous-Austin, Dave Gallagher, and Peter Massini reflect on the continued evolution of biodiversity net gain.
- From Ambition to Delivery. Stacking within BNG has always been part of the framework and Julia Baker (Mott MacDonald) is exploring how we can be using it to nature’s advantage.
- Grown to Thrive. Biodiversity net gain isn’t about what you specify, it’s about what establishes, says Lindum Turf.
Read the full Pro Landscaper February 2026 edition here.
by Bethany Vann | 17 Dec 25 | Nature & Biodiversity, News
Yesterday in the House of Commons, the Government announced its intention to exempt smaller developments from biodiversity net gain (BNG) obligations.
Under the new rules, developments below 0.2 hectares — instead of the previously expected 0.5 — will be exempt from delivering the mandatory 10% uplift required for BNG.
Many land-based professionals are taking to LinkedIn to voice their satisfaction over the reduced development size, accrediting the move to the large scale lobbying that has been taking place over the recent months.
The Wildlife Trusts however warns that these exemptions could still result in at least an estimated 60% of all planning applications bypassing the legislation requirements.
Craig Bennet, chief executive of The Wildlife Trusts comments:
“We should be working to rebuild our natural infrastructure alongside new housing and built infrastructure, not engage in tired old performative politics that trades one off against each other.”
The Government also announced that it will be launching a consultation in the new year for the exemption of smaller residential developments on brownfield land.
As well as additional undetermined changes to how BNG is applied to smaller and medium developments moving forward.
BNG for Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects is still scheduled to roll out in May of next year, with a suggested easement of access to offsite units.
by Bethany Vann | 21 Nov 25 | Nature & Biodiversity, News
Concerns are rising among environmental and business groups ahead of the autumn budget – scheduled to be delivered on 26 November – over the potential removal of biodiversity net gain (BNG) from a majority of developments.
Earlier this year in the summer, Defra consulted on proposals which could exempt small developers (up to nine dwellings) from the legislation.
A secondary proposal to reduce BNG requirements for larger developers (up to 49 dwellings) was also put forward.
Now, ahead of the autumn budget, the Wild Life Trusts is warning against the decision, with Craig Bennet, chief executive of the The Wildlife Trusts, saying:
“It beggars belief that the Government would even be considering such a move, putting jobs and investment at risk in the growing nature recovery sector, when study after study has proven that nature underpins our economy’s ability to function and be resilient to future shocks.”
Bennet goes on to add that greenlighting the proposals would be a “huge economic and environmental misstep.”
A study from eftec, commissioned by The Wildlife Trusts, found that an improved BNG market could deliver £250 million in economic activity annually. As well as sustain over 2,450 full-time jobs a year.
With over 100 sites already delivered for nature in just the UK, The Wildlife Trusts continues to advocate for the importance of nature and the dismissal of it being seen as a blocker.
Arguing that the approval of development exemptions would be damaging to both wildlife and confidence in the emerging market.
by Bethany Vann | 27 Oct 25 | Nature & Biodiversity, News
The British Standards Institution (BSI) has published new guidance to support development projects in protecting, preserving and enhancing biodiversity on a global scale.
Biodiversity: Process for designing and implementing biodiversity net gain in development projects (ISO 17620) is designed to support the reverse of biodiversity loss and encourage sustainable developments.
It provides a practical framework for the design and implementation of biodiversity net gain – which came into effect February last year – in projects of any size or type.
Released alongside this is a standard aimed at helping organisations support biodiversity goals; Biodiversity: Considering biodiversity in the strategy and operations of organizations — Requirements and guidelines (ISO 17298).
Providing biodiversity-related impacting assessments and risks, ISO 17298 is the first international standard tailored to support cross-sector organisations to embed biodiversity considerations into their operations.
David Fatscher, head of standards development, BSI, comments on the importance of these standards in reversing biodiversity loss, saying:
“Biodiversity loss is a significant global challenge and one that all of us across society have a responsibility to act on, from developers to organizations in general. The launch of these two standards marks a pivotal step forward in global efforts to halt and reverse biodiversity loss, as they provide practical, science-based frameworks designed to empower biodiversity preservation.
Both standards are the result of international collaboration involving professionals from countries including the UK, Japan, China, Brazil, Canada, Germany, and France.
by Bethany Vann | 29 Jul 25 | Nature & Biodiversity, News
A new comparative report on biodiversity net gain (BNG) has found off-site uplift is performing better than on-site; with the latter found to be hindering the legislation’s potential.
The report, The Comparative Value of On-site vs Off-site Biodiversity Net Gain for Restoring Nature found that on-site uplifts are being delivered in ‘small’, ‘fragmented’, and ‘disturbed’ areas.
While off-site uplift is being delivered on a larger, better-connected basis – as well as having a higher income of long-term funding, resulting in higher quality ecological benefits.
The report links this, in part, back to the heightened legal reinforcement and maintenance of off-site BNG.
While on-site uplift is the preferred delivery (according to the BNG Hierarchy), the report highlights the incurred cost BNG poses on developers.
Despite this recent research revealing that the BNG unit market could be worth £3bn by 2035, only 10% or less of BNG is currently being delivered off-site.
Lead author of the report, former deputy chair of Natural England and founder of Environment Bank, David Hill, shared the report on LinkedIn, along with five recommendations for the government, designed to improve the delivery of BNG.
The report was co-authored by Hill, Nina Pindham, environmental barrister at Cornerstone Barristers, Jason Beedell, rural research director at Strutt & Parker, Neil Beamsley group head of biodiversity at Bellway Homes Ltd, and Robert Hindle, executive director at Rural Solutions.
by Bethany Vann | 21 Jul 25 | Nature & Biodiversity, News
A recent study into biodiversity net gain (BNG) reveals the market is scaling ‘rapidly’, even as public awareness remains limited.
Published by Biodiversity Units UK, the BNG Industry Report: July 2025 draws on data from 33 Habitat Bank operators across England.
The data predicts that the retail market value of BNG could reach £3bn by the year 2035, with over 91k BNG units also expected to be in play by that time.
It was also forecast that over 7.5k BNG units would become in annual demand, which the report highlights as an indication of a ‘healthy and functioning market’; of the respondents, 70% said that BNG offers a ‘meaningful’ income diversification.
In the time since BNG’s roll out early last year the legislation has created over 450 full-time ‘green’ jobs, and has engaged over 800 contractors across the sector.
However, the report also shows that public understanding of BNG remains low (3.1/10), revealing a need for broader education and awareness.
“This first industry report reveals the genuine scale and ambition behind England’s BNG market,” says Ian Hambleton, Founder of Biodiversity Units UK.
“With over £320m in private investment and strong environmental confidence from operators, we’re seeing a market that’s no longer in its infancy. This is nature recovery at scale – backed by capital and delivering outcomes.”
This report follows the government’s proposals to introduce a new ‘medium’ site category, alongside an ease up on BNG rules for small sites, in an effort to streamline planning processes.
The full report can be accessed here.
Data for the report was collected from 33 Habitat Bank operators – including Environment Bank, Nattergal, Green Earth Group, Legacy Habitats, The Wildlife Trusts as well as independent landowners. These businesses represent more than 21,000 acres of land and more than 200 operational and upcoming Habitat Banks.
by Bethany Vann | 14 Jul 25 | Nature & Biodiversity, News
New research published by environmental economics consultancy, Eftec reveals that 86% of approved planning applications have already claimed biodiversity net gain (BNG) exemptions in the legislation’s inaugural year.
In the findings, commissioned by The Lifescape Project and Wildlife and Countryside Link, it shows this figure could potentially rise to over 95%, if the current Defra consultation notions move forward and existing loopholes remain unaddressed.
The consultation, which aims to improve the implementation of BNG for minor, medium, and brownfield sites, proposes an exemption of all small developments from BNG requirements.
It also looks to explore the extension / revision of the de minimis exemption, which currently excludes developments that do not impact priority habitats and have minimal on-site habitat loss.
By exempting all small developments from the legislation, it is feared there could be a £250M drop in the biodiversity unit market.
Adam Eagle, CEO of The Lifescape Project calls the government’s proposals “reckless for nature and for taxpayers”, noting that if all small sites are excluded, it would “bulldoze an emerging and innovative biodiversity credit market.”
While CEO of Wildlife and Countryside Link, Richard Benwell comments:
“The proposal to drastically widen the number of exempt small sites from the system would be a return to the bad old days of damaging development and torpedo confidence in private investment in nature recovery.”
The report offers an alternative solution in the way of replacing the proposed small site exemption with the exclusion of only sites up to 0.1 hectares that align with the government’s proposed new definition of “very small sites”.
This could potentially result in over 20K more hectares of development being covered by BNG.
The government’s consultation is open until 24 July 2025 and can be found here.
by Bethany Vann | 28 May 25 | Nature & Biodiversity, News
Today, the UK Labour government has put forward its plans to streamline small site planning processes in an effort to ‘modernise’ planning committees and support SME housebuilders.
New home completion saw a drop last year, with 2024 going on record as a new seven-year low for new home delivery.
The government hopes that by introducing new reforms, regulations and financial support, smaller housebuilders will benefit.
Included in today’s announcement was a proposed ease up of biodiversity net gain (BNG) rules for small sites (up to nine homes).
Under this new proposal, decisions will be undertaken by specialised planning officers, instead of planning committees.
Back in February Luke Mills, director of The Landscape Service, shared his concerns that BNG was creating a “huge delay” in the planning process due to a lack of “formal education” in the decision hierarchy.
This adjustment in decision responsibility intends to bypass potential stalemates, with an intended goal of streamlining planning and getting nature into builds quicker.
A newly announced ‘medium site’ category, made up of developments between 10 – 49 homes, is also set to be exempted from the Building Safety Levy, and will have a simplified set of BNG rules, which the government says will “make it easier to deliver biodiverse habitats” across these sites.
Ecologist Peter Massini also noted back in February that BNG leaves little “wiggle room”, which can lead to a “disconnect” between the legislation and other policies.
Adding that the ability to negotiate trade offs would help to ensure a better scheme overall.
It was also announced that the government will be making a further £10m available this financial year to support local planning authorities implement BNG.
And while these new proposals put forward by the government are intended to remove potential barriers in both house building and BNG, The Wildlife Trusts says this is “another appalling example of the government breaking its promise to put nature at the heart of house building.”
Stating that these changes to the legislation “penalise” developers that “embraced [BNG] early on and are showing how well it can be done.”
The full list of proposals announced today can be found at gov.uk/government/news/government-backs-sme-builders-to-get-britain-building.
Principal advisor – net gain at Natural England, Nick White will be sharing his insights and an update on BNG at Pro Landscaper’s Landscaping Leadership Form on 26 June in London. He will be delving into if the legislation has bolstered collaboration efforts in the context of landscaping and maintenance considerations being taken into account earlier on in a project. For more information visit prolandscapermagazine.com/product/landscaping-leadership-forum-2025/.
by Bethany Vann | 12 May 25 | Nature & Biodiversity, News
Research conducted by the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) has found that almost half of the ecological features outlined in planning proposals were missing from the participating housing developments.
Between June and August 2024, a research team based in the University of Sheffield’s planning school examined 42 developments across five local planning authorities in England.
The team found that only 53% of the ecological enhancements outlined in the planning proposals were present; 19% of which was made up of newly planted trees.
Other missing commitments include 48% of native hedges, 75% of both bird and bat boxes, 100% of invertebrate boxes, 83% of hedgehog highways, and 39% of the trees were either missing or dead.
Additionally 60% of the areas wetland grassland, and 59% of wildflower grasslands had either been sown incorrectly, or mowed incorrectly, resulting in its richness being considerably reduced.
The data report accredits these findings to a range of factors, including unclear expectations, weak local policy guidance on biodiversity, and poor-quality landscape and ecology management plans.
Research was conducted across 291 hectares, amounting to almost 6000 houses, which equates to 4,658 promised trees and 868 bird and bat boxes.
Each of the developments, comprising more than 10 houses, were granted planning permission after 2012, when the National Planning Policy Framework first required developments to demonstrate a net gain for biodiversity, but prior to the introduction of the biodiversity net gain legislation.
The full report can be found here.
by Bethany Vann | 30 Apr 25 | Nature & Biodiversity, News
Joe’s Blooms today shares that its digital Biodiversity Net Gain Tool has aided over 1000 SME developers comply with biodiversity net gain (BNG) since its launch in March last year.
The tech start-up says this shows that digital tools are ‘successfully’ guiding small sites to drive nature recovery across England.
The Biodiversity Net Gain Tool is designed to streamline the BNG process, from collating site data and legal documents, to producing digital solutions in an effort to avoid delays incurred by the legislation.
It has been used to support development planning in 259 local authorities throughout England, with North Yorkshire, Sheffield and Cornwall being the top three, in references to planning applications submitted using the tool.
Oliver Lewis, CEO of Joe’s Blooms says this is a “significant milestone” for the company, highlighting the “growing impact of digital tools in supporting BNG.”
Research conducted by the company earlier this year found that a majority of those opposed to the government’s housing target think all new developments should facilitate nature restoration in their plans.
Highlighting a “clear” need for BNG in addressing anti-development concerns, says Lewis.
BNG came into effect for small sites in April last year; and it is currently scheduled to be implemented across nationally significant infrastructure projects in November this year.
by Holly Chapman | 04 Apr 25 | Landscape Architecture, News
Three new members join Land Studio as it expands the ecology team to mitigate “increasing demand” for its specialist ecology, says founder and director Simon Richards.
Lyn Pearce has been appointed new director of ecology, she brings with her prior experience in ecology projects in both the private and public sectors.
Based in Chester and North Wales, the studio also welcomes senior ecologist Daniel Finegan and consultant ecologist Melissa Finch.
Pearce says she is “thrilled to have come on board at Land Studio at such an exciting time for the business and to be joined in the ecology team by Daniel and Melissa.”
The ecology team works closely with the company’s landscape architects and civil engineers, working to ensure biodiversity net gain (BNG) and protected species mitigation is maintained throughout the design process.
Providing clients with landscape architecture, civil engineering and ecology services, Land Studio works with the National Trust, landowners, commercial developers and holiday and leisure parks.
by Bethany Vann | 02 Apr 25 | Nature & Biodiversity, News
In a poll from biodiversity tech start-up Joe’s Blooms, it was found that a majority of those opposed to the government’s 1.5M housing target think all new developments should look to actively improve nature.
Of the 14K people surveyed, three-quarters (75%) believe all new housing projects should include the creation of green space or habitat banks.
Over a third of those (36%) say those green spaces should be established locally instead of in other parts of the country. Nearly half (49%) cite a loss in green space or environmental damage as a key factor in resisting local housebuilding.
Oliver Lewis, CEO of Joe’s Blooms says the data shows a “clear” need for biodiversity net gain (BNG) in addressing anti-development concerns.
“To achieve its ambitious housebuilding revolution, the Government must place BNG at the heart of its strategy. Following recent planning reform announcements, a clear roadmap is needed to show how BNG integrates into the planning framework — ensuring momentum isn’t lost. By embedding nature recovery into housing policy, development can drive biodiversity gains, win local backing, and deliver benefits for both people and the planet.”
This data comes exactly one year on from BNG being introduced on small sites (1 April), and sparks the question, should BNG be incorporated into private domestic spaces as well?
by Bethany Vann | 12 Feb 25 | Nature & Biodiversity, News
Future Homes Hub marks one-year of biodiversity net gain (BNG) with the launch of its new BNG Implementation Board.
Designed to support cross-sector collaboration, the Hub aims to facilitate the implementation of BNG at scale successfully.
After launching this time last year (February 2024), the nature-fronted legislation has put environmental awareness at the top of the agenda for developers.
The Hub notes that the legislation is not without its challenges and recognises the need for further clarity and support, which it hopes the new Board will facilitate.
The Board is co-chaired by Defra policy lead for BNG, Julian Harlow and Berkeley Group’s responsible business executive, Lorraine Fursland.
Board members include representatives from across the sector, including stakeholders and government bodies
Ed Lockhart, CEO of Future Homes Hub comments:
“The Future Homes Hub, through the BNG Implementation Board, is committed to working hand-in-hand with the industry and policymakers. We are confident that by working together, we can unlock the full potential of BNG, creating a legacy of thriving biodiversity for generations to come.”
