Purpose

1.1. The implementation of the Environment Act
2021 (EA 2021) has required residential and commercial developments
to deliver a minimum of 10% Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) units in
order to secure planning permission. Where developers are unable to
provide the BNG on site they are required to provide this off site
in the form of BNG units. There is considerable benefit for these
BNG units to be provided local to the development through locally
provided habitat banks and so not to lose biodiversity from the
area.

1.2. There are currently no habitat banks within the Arun area,
therefore at present where off-site BNG units are generated they
are required to be invested elsewhere. This report recommends the
employing a project officer to develop habitat banks on ADC
greenspace land. This provides the benefit of ensuring off-site
biodiversity is retained local to development, enables biodiversity
benefits to that greenspace and an ongoing income stream for those
improvements to assist in offsetting the existing greenspace
management costs.

1.3. A project officer is proposed to be appointed to set up a
system for habitat banking. The project officer position would be
initially funded for two years.