BNG Feasibility Assessment

HOUSING ASSOCIATION (SOUTH & SOUTH-WEST)

SNG secured planning permission for a new residential development that included a comprehensive landscape and biodiversity strategy. While consent had been achieved, expectations around Biodiversity Net Gain and long-term stewardship continue to evolve across the sector.

Crucially, this review was commissioned prior to the appointment of the main contractor, ensuring that the correct ecological and landscape provisions could be considered, specified and accounted for before construction commenced.

SNG wanted assurance that the approved habitats were not only policy compliant, but realistic to deliver and manageable over the full lifecycle of the development. The challenge was to move from planning approval to delivery certainty, ahead of works beginning on site.

The Green Partnership undertook a strategic landscape feasibility and stewardship review for SNG, combining site-based understanding with an appraisal of the approved green infrastructure proposals.

We confirmed that the targeted habitats were appropriate and achievable. By carrying out this work in advance of contractor procurement, we were able to identify where additional clarity, coordination and specification would strengthen delivery. This ensured that habitat protection, creation and long-term management requirements could be embedded into construction planning from the outset.

Alongside this, we developed a long-term management profile to support SNG’s financial and operational planning. This provided a clear view of how landscape responsibilities evolve over time, how Biodiversity Net Gain commitments can be maintained for the required period, and how green infrastructure aligns with wider asset management objectives.

Rather than treating biodiversity as a standalone requirement, the work integrated ecological performance with practical delivery and governance before construction risk was introduced.

The review confirmed that SNG’s approved landscape strategy can be successfully implemented and sustained, provided that management structures and responsibilities are clearly defined from the outset.

Undertaking the work prior to contractor appointment allowed SNG to:

• Embed ecological protections into pre-construction planning
• Ensure habitat creation specifications were clear and deliverable
• Align long-term management obligations with procurement strategy
• Strengthen confidence around Biodiversity Net Gain delivery

This proactive timing reduced risk, improved coordination and positioned the scheme for smoother delivery once works begin.

By acting early, SNG has taken a forward-thinking approach to green infrastructure delivery. The development is now supported by a clear roadmap from pre-construction through to mature landscape stewardship.

The result is a scheme that is positioned to deliver meaningful biodiversity outcomes alongside attractive, well-managed spaces for residents, with long-term resilience built in from day one.