Engaging People for Biodiversity Net Gain

As an approach to planning, England’s Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) legislation introduced in 2024 relates not only to nature but also to people. It is clear that people will be key to the success of BNG legislation. It is also clear that engaging the public is central to housing developers’ place-making, marketing and ambitions. Yet little attention has been paid directly to the forms that public engagement with BNG might take, how it can be mobilised and sustained, and what benefits it can bring. This report presents the findings of a study that addresses this gap.

The Institute of Development Studies and Natural England researched opportunities for people’s engagement to support the delivery of BNG in the housebuilding sector. We collaborated with a reference group of key BNG experts in the housing development sector and local government and Natural England. The findings are based on case studies and interviews with expert observers and practitioners. The case studies were selected because they offer rich learning and inspiration which is relevant to the question of public engagement in the context of mandatory BNG. We expect the lessons from this study to be useful to a range of stakeholders involved in delivering BNG – principally developers and local authorities but also others – and to be applicable more widely to sectors beyond housing, and in other areas of the United Kingdom beyond England.