Biodiversity strategies are in place for England, Scotland, Northern Ireland, and Wales, with the general objective to halt the overall loss of biodiversity.

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.

The Importance of Incorporating Biodiversity into Planning and Development

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 – A Code of Practice for Biodiversity in Planning and Development

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 Development

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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Ensure your organization has a structured approach to planning for nature by adding standard BS 42020 to your collection today.