LAND360 in practice: achieving biodiversity net gain
We partnered with one of the UK's leading housing developers to design and implement an effective BNG plan — from initial habitat baseline through to monitoring and reporting. Download the case study to find out how.
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The challenge
In 2022, one of the UK's leading housing developers approached Fera for support with designing and implementing an effective BNG plan. With biodiversity net gain legislation on the horizon — requiring all new TCPA developments to achieve a mandatory 10% net gain from February 2024 — the developer needed a rigorous, repeatable methodology they could deploy across their entire site portfolio.
The challenge was significant. Applying the Defra Biodiversity Metric 4.0 requires specialist knowledge of the UKHab classification system. Traditional onsite ecological surveys are time-consuming and resource-intensive. And with hundreds of sites to assess, the developer needed an approach that could be applied efficiently at the strategic land phase — before sites were even acquired — without sacrificing scientific accuracy.
The approach
Fera, working alongside ecological consultancy TEP, designed a holistic approach to BNG adoption that combined scientific rigour with geospatial efficiency.
The methodology centred on a GIS desk-based habitat assessment using LAND360's Mapping+ service. High-resolution remote sensing was used to produce accurate habitat baseline maps for each pilot site — attributing biodiversity units to individual habitat parcels using the Natural England Metric 4.0. The high accuracy of this desk-based approach removed the need for initial onsite surveys at the strategic land phase, significantly reducing the time and resource burden of early-stage assessment.
Where onsite validation was needed, Fera ecologists conducted ground-truthing and habitat condition scoring, with technical GIS input from spatial data specialists. Results were delivered via an online application integrated directly into the developer's own GIS systems, allowing data to be continuously updated as sites progressed through the planning pipeline.
The outcome
The pilot gave the developer's strategic land teams clear, early insight into the BNG uplift potential of each site — before acquisition decisions were made. The methodology provided a logical, tiered approach to habitat modelling that could scale across the full portfolio.
The project delivered a future-proofed framework: as sites move from strategic land phase through to planning application, more detailed analysis and onsite ecological survey work can be layered in at the appropriate stage. Expert ecological and economic insights will support long-term strategic decision-making across the entire development estate.
Following the success of the pilot, the methodology was confirmed for rollout across all sites within the developer's portfolio.
The result
- Habitat baseline maps produced remotely, without the need for initial onsite surveys
- Biodiversity units attributed to each habitat parcel using Natural England Metric 4.0
- BNG uplift potential assessed at strategic land phase — before acquisition
- Results integrated into the developer's existing GIS systems for continuous updates
- Methodology scaled across a nationwide development portfolio
- Developer equipped to prioritise, measure, and monitor BNG now and in the future
