Future Homes Hub launches Biodiversity Net Gain Implementation Board

The Future Homes Hub has launched its Biodiversity Net Gain Implementation Board, one year after mandatory BNG was introduced.

The board has been established to assist cross-sector collaboration with industry leaders, key stakeholders and relevant government bodies “to implement BNG at scale successfully”. It is co-chaired by DEFRA’s Julian Harlow and Berkeley Homes’ Lorraine Fursland.

The Future Homes Hub acknowledged the successes of BNG so far, with developers proactively considering the ecological impacts of their schemes from the start of their projects, new habitats being created and an emerging biodiversity unit market.

“And, importantly, we’re witnessing collaboration and innovation across the sector to support large and small developers to deliver on the policy,” the Hub said.

But it also noted the challenges of implementing “such a transformative policy”. This was, it said, the purpose of the BNG Implementation Board: to thoroughly examine the root causes of identified challenges, “determine if existing guidance can be better disseminated, and identify any necessary new actions to support industry progress”.

A unified, collaborative approach, the Hub said, would provide the necessary support to the sector to address BNG’s complexities, encouraging consistency and best practice. “We recognise the need to provide further …