Biodiversity Net Gain in Gloucestershire
Biodiversity Net Gain in relation to developments means that habitats for wildlife must be left in a measurably better state than they were before the development occurred. Under the Environment Action 2021, most planning permissions in England will have to deliver at least 10% biodiversity net gain.
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​The Local Nature Recovery Strategy, published on 13 February 2026, determines the application of the Strategic Significance Multiplier - sites where the locations and habitat plans match the priorities of the Local Nature Recovery Strategy will be able to increase the number of Biodiversity Units that the site can offer by 15%.
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Biodiversity Net Gain is calculated using the Biodiversity Metric tool and must be secured for at least 30 years. Achieving biodiversity net gain on-site is preferred. If 10% net gain cannot be fully achieved on-site then biodiversity net gain can be delivered off-site through habitat enhancement or creation. In the Biodiversity Metric, the Strategic Significance Multiplier helps to target the locations and habitat creation plans for off-site biodiversity net gain towards the places where new habitat creation or enhancement will make the most difference for nature recovery.
Part 2 of the Gloucestershire Local Nature Recovery Strategy contains this guidance about applying the strategy for Biodiversity Net Gain in Gloucestershire:
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Areas covered by the most strategic habitat measures combine to form the Areas that Could Become of Particular Importance for Biodiversity (ACIB). Users can apply high strategic significance on the Statutory Metric for implementing a mapped Potential Measure in Areas that Could Become of Particular Importance for Biodiversity. The relevant potential measures can be found under the ACIB layer group on the LNRS Local Habitat Map.
Where hedgerows, riparian tree planting or riparian buffer strips are Potential Measures that are listed as applying alongside or in relation to a Potential Measure in the Areas that Could Become of Particular Importance, users can also apply high strategic significance on the Statutory Metric for carrying out this action, in the location of the ACIB measure. Habitat creation that meets the criteria for the “other potential measures” listed on the Local Habitat Map is still considered important but is less strategic and therefore will only achieve low Strategic Significance.
Note that whilst some species measures align with the Areas that Could Become of Particular Importance for Biodiversity, it is the Habitat measure underlying that must be actioned to achieve high Strategic Significance within the Statutory Metric.
Potential Measures that are relevant to Biodiversity Net Gain are described using UK Habitat Classification habitat names, and where habitat condition is also given, this corresponds to the Biodiversity Metric.
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Gloucestershire has it's own broker for Biodiversity Units - Gloucestershire Nature + Climate Fund. Gloucestershire Nature + Climate Fund was initiated by Gloucestershire Local Nature Partnership and Gfirst LEP to work on natural capital investment in Gloucestershire and is now set up as a non-profit company https://glosncf.com/ .
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Before February 2026, all of Gloucestershire's local district authorities and Gloucestershire County Council worked together, and with the Local Nature Partnership, to produce Interim Guidance on delivering Biodiversity Net Gain for planning applicants and developers in Gloucestershire. This interim guidance no longer applies and has been withdrawn, now that the Local Nature Recovery Strategy has been published.​​​​
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