FOI release

Biodiversity Net Gain

This request was refused in part, so we didn't provide some of the information the requester asked for. This may include information where we can neither confirm nor deny that we hold it.

Case reference FOI2026/01626

Received 3 August 2026

Published 27 August 2026

Request

1. Has the authority adopted any policy, guidance, or formal position relating to the preferred location of off-site Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) units?

2. If the answer to Question 1 is yes, does the authority require or normally expect off-site BNG units to be located:
• within the local planning authority area;
• within the Local Nature Recovery Strategy (LNRS) area; or
• within another specified geographic area (please specify).

3. How many Biodiversity Net Gain habitat banks registered on the national Biodiversity Gain Sites Register are located within the authority's administrative area, according to the information held by the authority? (Please state the number as at the date of your response.)

4. Has the authority established, or is it in the process of establishing, a Biodiversity Net Gain habitat bank on land that it owns or controls? If yes, please state how many.

5. Does the council have an adopted or emerging policy which requires above 10% biodiversity net gain? If so, please specify whether this is on all sites or particular types of sites.

Response

Thank you for your recent request under the Freedom of Information Act.

Please find the answers to your queries below:

1. Has the authority adopted any policy, guidance, or formal position relating to the preferred location of off-site Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) units?

Yes – information relating to Guildford Borough Council’s Biodiversity Net Gain policies is publicly available information which can be found on our website via the following link:

https://www.guildford.gov.uk/article/27248/Biodiversity-Net-Gain

As such, the information you require can be found from publicly available sources and consequentially under Section 21 of the Act, we are not required to provide information in response to a request if it is already reasonably accessible.

None of the above. Guildford Borough Council does not require or expect off-site BNG units to be within its boundaries, however local delivery is encouraged to maximise biodiversity benefits and simplify monitoring and enforcement. Developers are encouraged to consult the council early in the planning process to confirm acceptable location sites for BNG units and ensure compliance with national and local guidance.

Our Biodiversity Report 2026 (which is available on our website via the above link) contains details of Guildford Borough Council’s BNG habitat banks – we currently have one at Burpham Court Farm and we are making progress on our habitat bank project at Tyting Farm.

4. Has the authority established, or is it in the process of establishing, a Biodiversity Net Gain habitat bank on land that it owns or controls? If yes, please state how many.

Yes – as above, Burpham Court Farm and Tyting Farm. We are also reviewing other sites that we own to look at the potential to host a habitat bank.

5. Does the council have an adopted or emerging policy which requires above 10% biodiversity net gain? If so, please specify whether this is on all sites or particular types of sites.

Yes. The Local Plan requirement for qualifying schemes to achieve 20% BNG came into force when the national mandatory 10% BNG requirement began (12 February 2024 for major developments and 2 April 2024 for minor developments) – please see page 6 of our Biodiversity Report 2026 for further information (which is available on our website via the above link).

Yours sincerely,

FOI Team

Guildford Borough Council

Documents

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This is Guildford Council's response to a freedom of information (FOI) or environmental information regulations (EIR) request.

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