FOI release

Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) Units

Case reference FOI2026/01238

Received 30 July 2026

Published 5 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

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

This is set out in our adopted policy EN 9 Biodiversity Net Gain in our Local Plan https://tunbridgewells.gov.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0008/511991/Adopted-Local-Plan-2020-2038.pdf

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).

See above

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.) We do not hold this information. The National Registry is kept by Natural England.

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. No

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. No

Documents

There are no documents for this release.

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