This will require taking better account of biodiversity in public and private sector decision-making. This means taking a structured approach to planning for nature and at every stage of the planning process from before applying for permission, to construction.
High-quality ecological information is important for:
Effective decision-making, including local planning decisions
Compliance with statutory obligations and policy requirements
Successful implementation of practical conservation and enhancement measures during development
The achievement of desired outcomes
Effective decision-making over biodiversity provides:
Certainty and clarity for developers, local planning authorities, and other regulatory bodies
Sufficient information with which to identify and track cumulative biodiversity outcomes (e.g. net losses and gains arising from all planning decisions)
Greater confidence for all stakeholders that decisions and proposed actions involving biodiversity conservation are transparent, fair, adequate, and legally sound
Reduced likelihood of a planning appeal or legal challenge
BS 42020 is a standard developed by BSI in association with biodiversity experts and stakeholders from across all sectors.
The standard provides clear recommendations and guidance to ensure that actions and decisions taken at each stage of the planning process are informed by sufficient and appropriate ecological information. BS 42020 also provides guidance on the planning process and consent regimes in the UK, and on statutory obligations and planning guidance that relate to biodiversity. Also listed are; professional bodies with relevant codes of conduct suggested pro formas for net loss or gain of biodiversity, model planning conditions, and forms for reports on European protected species.
This standard, therefore, seeks to:
Promote transparency and consistency in the quality and appropriateness of ecological information submitted with planning applications, and applications for other regulatory approvals
Give planning authorities and other regulatory bodies greater confidence in the information when they consider proposals for development that potentially affects biodiversity
Encourage proportionality and a good environmental legacy following development
High standards of professional practice are essential for the successful integration of biodiversity into the planning and development process. BS 42020 gives recommendations on professional ethics, conduct, competence, and judgment that are intended to give confidence that proposals for biodiversity conservation, and consequent decisions/actions taken, are sound and appropriate.
Biodiversity professionals have to work collaboratively with all other disciplines in the planning and development process, to find a course of action that balances the needs of the developer with the constraints of statutory obligations, local planning policy, and the biodiversity of the site.
To learn about our new standard on biodiversity net gain, click here.
Incorporating biodiversity management into each stage of the planning process is essential to avoid unnecessary costs and delays at later stages. BS 42020 makes appropriate recommendations for the various stages of the planning process, as follows:
Pre-application
Design considerations for biodiversity
Ecological surveys and assessments
Preparation of ecological reports
Non-technical summaries
Validation and registration
Validation and registration
Adequate information
Decision-making
Quality decision-making
Professional scrutiny
Consultation
Adequate information
Determination
Planning conditions
Planning obligations
Other consent regimes
Implementation/Construction
Construction environmental management plan
Long-term management
Ecological monitoring
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