Biodiversity Net Gain and Nutrient Neutrality: Assessment of Opportunity and Delivery Roles for Nort

Overview

North York Moors and New Forest National Park Authorities (NYMNPA and NFNPA respectively) are responsible for conserving and enhancing two of England's most distinctive protected landscapes. Through their statutory roles, management plans and trusted local relationships, the Authorities support nature recovery, resilient landscapes and the long-term stewardship of the National Parks. Statutory markets for Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) and Nutrient Neutrality (NN) are creating new opportunities to secure long-term investment in nature recovery across England. Since February 2024, BNG has been mandatory for most developments. Similarly, NN is mandatory for housing developments occurring in 27 catchments across England. As Local Planning Authorities, the NPAs already have a regulatory role in relation to these markets. They now wish to understand the opportunities for taking on wider roles, such as supporting off-site habitat and credit delivery with advice and ecology services, convening partners, brokering opportunities for landowners, or developing a habitat bank or similar service. Local planning authorities are also covered by the 'Biodiversity Duty' set out in the Environment Act 2021, requiring them to conserve and enhance biodiversity through proactive measure. National Park Authorities have an important role to play in the delivery of this duty, given the first statutory Park purpose to conserve and enhance the wildlife of National Parks. This commission wil... 2. Options appraisal for roles and services Undertake an options appraisal to assess potential roles or service provisions which could be undertaken by the NPAs, with particular reference to NPA governance, resourcing and local context. Review roles and services in light of opportunities, resource implications, potential risks and any conflicts of interest. Consideration should also be given to how each role might impact the quality of environmental outcomes and/or the ability to secure social and health co-benefits (e.g. public access to green space) from BNG/NN sites. Roles and services considered could include: - Regulator (current position as planning authority) - Responsible body (with respect to conservation covenants which can be used for both BNG and NN schemes) - Advisor - Broker - Provision of ecology services, including monitoring - Habitat Bank operator/supplier - Convenor / facilitator 3. Outline business case For the most favourable option or options, outline a business case including commercial viability, potential to generate a profit or unrestricted funds for NPAs, operational effort, timelines and key dependencies. Include recommended governance and delivery models and any safeguards needed to manage regulatory, legal, financial and reputational risks. 4. Recommendations Provide a series of recommendations and outline an implementation roadmap based on the above assessments, including sequencing, dependencies and key decision points.