Somerset Wetlands BNG market analysis project

Natural England is working with the Local Planning Authorities in Somerset (District Councils and County Council) to help them gain a greater understanding of what is required to deliver biodiversity net gain (BNG). This piece of work will make an important contribution to advancing the understanding of the scale of BNG needed in Somerset, and how it can be delivered.

This piece of work is funded through the Somerset Wetlands Nature Recovery Project (NRP). This is a landscape scale project, focusing on recovering nature across 60,000 hectares of wetland on the Somerset Levels and Moors. A portion of Natural England's BNG funding has been allocated to Nature Recovery Projects, to allow them to be a vehicle for developing BNG within a local area.

This piece of work aims to develop the understanding of BNG in Somerset through the completion of the following work items:

1. Carrying out a market analysis of the number of BNG units required to deliver the known and forecast development needs for the whole of the Somerset County area.

2. Producing a case study selected from a smaller area within the Nature Recovery Project that demonstrates how BNG units can be delivered within the Nature Recovery Project, how these units would integrate with other finance initiatives such as carbon credits and nutrient credits, and the role played by the Local Nature Recovery Strategy.

3. Delivering a workshop for developers in Somerset to share the results of this work and start early stage discussions on the implementation of BNG in Somerset.

These work items will achieve the following aims:

1. The scale of BNG required within Somerset will be better understood.

2. The way in which BNG can be used to deliver the Nature Recovery Projects outcomes will be better understood, including how these integrate with other tools such as carbon credits, nutrient and the Local Nature Recovery Strategy.

3. Key developers will have improved connections and a better understanding of BNG and the NRP.