BS 8683:2021

This standard BS 8683:2021 Process for designing and implementing Biodiversity Net Gain. Specification is classified in these ICS categories:

• 03.100.01 Company organization and management in general
• 13.020.01 Environment and environmental protection in general

This British Standard specifies a process to design, implement, maintain and monitor BNG outcomes from a development project.

It does not cover the actual delivery of BNG. It provides a framework to demonstrate that a project has followed a process that is based on the UK’s BNG Good Practice Principles [N1]. Complying with the requirements within this British Standard is to follow a process to achieve BNG that is based on good practice.

This British Standard is for any sector of industry, including residential, mixed-use, energy, water, transport, communications and infrastructure across the UK. It is for any scale of project from individual house-builds to larger developments, as well as estate management, whether they are subject to consent through the planning system, or another consenting process (e.g. Development Consent Orders) or are classified as permitted development. It can also be used by land managers aiming to generate BNG through management of an estate. Hereafter the term “project” refers to both development projects and land management activities.

This British Standard covers terrestrial and freshwater habitats, and intertidal habitats down to the mean low water mark. It is applicable across the UK and for projects that affect biodiversity and those with limited or no impact on biodiversity, as well as projects aiming to achieve BNG on- and/or off-site.

It first sets out requirements that apply throughout the BNG process; these requirements are in Clause 4.

Clause 5 to Clause 8 contain requirements for each of these stages of the BNG process:

1. Clause 5: Preparation

2. Clause 6: Design

3. Clause 7: Implementation

4. Clause 8: Maintenance and management

A project might involve requirements to achieve BNG from, for example, a planning condition or compliance with legislation. This British Standard covers a process to achieve BNG, notwithstanding any such requirements. It does not infer compliance with any planning condition, legislation or statutory requirement, and is independent from any mandatory or legislative requirement for BNG.

Furthermore, following the BNG process in this British Standard does not substitute the requirements to assess ecological impacts and report them, e.g. as part of an EcIA. Rather, this British Standard builds on, and is not intended to repeat, existing good practice for biodiversity surveys, impact assessments, mitigation and compensation for projects.

Projects with impacts on irreplaceable habitats cannot achieve BNG. These projects can follow the process in this British Standard for habitats that are not irreplaceable but cannot claim project-wide achievement of BNG. These projects need to transparently and comprehensively refer to the impacts on irreplaceable habitats in communications and reports.