Guidance

Amend a registration or allocation, or remove a registration

How to amend or remove a registration on the biodiversity gain sites register, or amend an allocation of off-site biodiversity gains to a development.

Applies to England

Amend a registered biodiversity site

You can amend a biodiversity gain site registration if either you:

  • are an owner or leaseholder for the site
  • have written consent from all of the owners or leaseholders for the site – see landowner consent form

You can authorise an agent to act on your behalf.

To apply to amend a gain site registration, email your application request to bng.applications@naturalengland.org.uk

Reasons for the amendment

You must select only one of these reasons for the amendment:

  • site information on the biodiversity gain site register has changed because of a change to the legal agreement – Section 106 Planning Obligation or Conservation Covenant
  • site information on the biodiversity gain site register is incomplete, or inaccurate, for any other reason

You cannot make an amendment if either the:

  • gain site will no longer meet eligibility conditions for Biodiversity net gain
  • amendment relates to any allocated enhancement on the gain site

Information needed

Describe the changes you are making for one of the reasons above and provide evidence.

You must provide the following information, your:

  • first name and family name, or organisation name
  • phone number
  • email address
  • postal address
  • evidence to show that you are entitled to apply
  • Biodiversity Gain Site number

Documents you need to send

For all applications, you must include the:

  • most recent version of the biodiversity gain site legal agreement – Section 106 Planning Obligation or Conservation Covenant
  • HMMP (Habitat Monitoring and Habitat Plan), if this is separate to the legal agreement
  • registration statutory (official) biodiversity metric tool
  • image of the boundary of the site

If you are the landowner, you will need to send copies of either your title deeds, or your lease agreements that prove ownership. These copies must be dated within 2 months of the application.

If you are not the landowner, you must include a landowner consent form and copies of the title deeds or leases from all the landowners.

If you are acting on behalf of an eligible applicant, you must also include an authorised agent form. 

These copies must be dated within 2 months of the application.

How long it takes

Your application can take up to 6 weeks. Natural England will contact you if we need more information, or you have not included all of the the required information and documents.

If you do not provide all the required information and documents, it will delay your application.

Cost to amend a biodiversity gain site

To amend a registered gain site costs £639.

Amend an allocation of off-site biodiversity gains

You can amend an allocation of off-site biodiversity gains to a development if you either:

  • are an owner or leaseholder for the biodiversity gain site
  • have written consent from all the owners or leaseholders for the site - see landowner consent form

You can authorise an agent to act on your behalf.

To apply to amend an allocation record, email your application to bng.applications@naturalengland.org.uk

Reasons for the amendment

You must select one of these reasons for the amendment, either:

  • reducing the size area or length of an allocated habitat
  • removing a recorded allocation entirely

You cannot amend an allocation that relates to an existing condition of planning permission. 

You must provide evidence that the planning permission conditions related to this allocation are no longer in place. (This could be a letter from the approving LPA.)

Information required

For all applications, you must include:

  • the applicants first name and family name, or organisation name
  • phone number
  • email address
  • postal address
  • evidence that the applicant is entitled to apply – see the ’Documents you need to send’ section
  • Biodiversity Gain Site number

You need to give the following information about the amended allocation:

  • planning reference number and approving LPA for the development
  • habitat reference numbers
  • habitat modules
  • habitat condition
  • area or length of habitat to be allocated
  • the value in biodiversity units for all allocated habitat, calculated using the statutory (official) biodiversity metric

This information must match the information shown in the statutory biodiversity metric tool.

Documents you need to send

You need to send:

  • the statutory (official) biodiversity metric tool for the allocated development, reviewed by your approving LPA
  • evidence that the planning permission conditions related to this allocation are no longer in place – for example, this could be a letter from the approving LPA

If you are the landowner, you will need to send copies of either your title deeds, or your lease agreements that prove ownership. These copies must be dated within 2 months of the application.

If you are not the landowner, you must include a landowner consent form and copies of the title deeds or leases from all the landowners.

If you are acting on behalf of an eligible applicant, you must also include an authorised agent form. 

These copies must be dated within 2 months of the application.

How long it takes

Your application can take up to 6 weeks. We will contact you if we need more information, or if you have not included all the required information and documents.

If you do not provide all the required information and documents, it will delay your application.

Cost to amend an allocation

Amending an allocation record costs £45.

Remove a biodiversity gain site

You can remove a biodiversity gain site if either you:

  • are an owner or leaseholder for the biodiversity gain site
  • have written consent from the owners or leaseholders for the biodiversity gain site – see landowner consent form

To apply to remove a biodiversity gain site from the biodiversity gain site register, email your application request to bng.applications@naturalengland.org.uk

Conditions for removal

You can only remove a biodiversity gain site from the biodiversity gain site register if:

  • it has no partial or full allocations against it
  • one gain site in each application
  • a gain site in its entirety – no partial removal of a gain site

Information needed

For all applications, you must include:

  • applicant’s first name and last name
  • phone number
  • email address
  • postal address
  • evidence applicant is entitled to apply (see the ‘Documents you need to send’ section)
  • Biodiversity Gain Site number

Documents you need to send

If you are the landowner, you will need to send copies of either your title deeds, or your lease agreements that prove ownership.

If you are not the landowner, you must include:

  • a landowner consent form
  • copies of the title deeds or leases from all the landowners

If you are acting on behalf of an eligible applicant, you must also include an authorised agent form. 

These copies must be dated within 2 months of the application.

How long it takes

Your application can take up to 6 weeks. Natural England will contact you if we need additional information, or if you have not included all the required information and documents.

If you do not provide all the required information and documents, this will delay your application.

Cost to remove a biodiversity gain site

It costs £89 to remove a biodiversity gain site.

Updates to this page

Published 5 September 2024
Last updated 12 September 2024 + show all updates
  1. BNG applications email address corrected.

  2. First published.

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