BNG Metric Roundtable Discussion

EDLA sponsored and hosted a roundtable discussion on the BNG Metric facilitated by Design South East.

The roundtable was initiated by Director Eleanor Trenfield, following her presentation at the Kent Design Conference, where she advocated for a deeper understanding beyond mere metrics to ensure long-term impact and better quality of design for both residents and wildlife. She highlighted some of the unintended consequences emerging through the BNG Metric:

– Favouring simpler habitats
– Fencing off high condition habitats
– Disconnecting people from nature
– Encroaching on essential features like drainage basins
– Viability challenges for smaller developments

The conference presentation sparked interesting debate and a clear realisation that we need to do more to facilitate understanding and collaborative thinking on a wider strategic level.

Off the back of this, EDLA and DSE have brought together a collaborative group of Kent -focused natural environment professionals from the public, private, and charity sectors working in Kent and Medway to reflect on how the Metric is working in practice and its effectiveness in delivering positive outcomes for nature and people.

The insightful discussions and experience-sharing concluded with an initial set of recommendations for improving the BNG Metric and its real-life applications. This will help maximise the potential of this important tool, moving beyond ‘design by spreadsheet’ to a landscape and design-led approach.

Our next steps will be publishing the recommendations, for us to use as discussion points with Natural England/DEFRA on the use of the Metric to achieve successful development, landscape design, and habitat outcomes. The roundtable will reconvene in the coming months for further knowledge sharing and discussions.

We would like to thank all who contributed.

Update: Recommendations to Improve the Use of Biodiversity Net Gain in Practice have been published and shared with the Landscape Institute and Natural England.