Guidance

Record allocation of off-site biodiversity gains to a development

Find out what to do and how much it costs to record allocation of off-site biodiversity gains to a development.

Applies to England

This page applies to:

  • developments that need planning permission

  • nationally significant infrastructure projects (NSIPs), from 2 November 2026

Who can apply

You can apply to record allocation of off-site biodiversity gains to a development if you’re: 

  • a landowner or leaseholder of the gain site you’re allocating from 
  • another person (forwho is not the landowner or leaseholder, but who has the landowner or leaseholder’s formal consent for example, a developer or ecologist)ecologist

An applicant can also appoint an agent to manage the application on their behalf.

If you’re the applicant who is not the landowner or leaseholder of the gain site 
  • ansite
  • You agentwill actingneed onto behalfconfirm you have the consent of all landowners and leaseholders of the applicantgain (asite landowner,to leaseholderrecord orthe anotherallocation. person) 

    BeforeFor youmore apply 

    information about this requirement, email biodiversitynetgainenquiries@naturalengland.org.uk

    If you’re an agent acting on behalf of the applicant 

    You must be authorised by the applicant which is either,either the landowner, leaseholder or another person, to record allocation of off-site biodiversity gains to a development on their behalf. They must complete an ‘authorise an agent to act on your behalf’ form. You must include this with your application.

    If you are an employee or a representative of an organisation, you do not need to complete an authorise an agent form.  form.

    If you are an agent acting on behalf of another person who is not the landowner or leaseholder of the gain site, you will need to confirm you have the consent of all landowners or leaseholders to record the allocation. 

    Howallocation. For tomore recordinformation allocationabout ofthis off-siterequirement, biodiversityemail biodiversitynetgainenquiries@naturalengland.org.uk

    Before gainsyou to a development apply 

    1. YouYou’ll will need toyour usestatutory thebiodiversity servicemetric tocalculation recordfor the allocation.development, Thisincluding informationthe willhabitat beID emailedof toeach Naturalallocated Englandhabitat.

      You’ll toalso beneed processed. either:

      • Whenyour weplanning emailapproval younotice, back,if weyour willdevelopment askhas youplanning to send us permission

      • your statutorydevelopment (official)consent biodiversityorder metric calculation and the planning application decision noticeletter, forif theyour development projectis froman theNSIP

      Registration localfee

      It planningcosts authority.£45 We will also give you details on how and when to payrecord the applicationallocation fee.of

      off-site Oncegains weto receivea your full application, we will send you an email with confirmation. development.

    2. You will need to pay the £45 application fee within 28 days of sendingsubmitting us your statutoryapplication.

      What (official)happens biodiversityafter metric calculation. Once we receive your payment, we will send you a payment confirmation email. 

    3. apply

      We will check your application. We will let you know ifwithin 6 weeks if:

      • we need more information from you
      • your orapplication ifto yourecord havethe beenallocation acceptedof oroff-site rejected. 

    Wegains willto emaila youdevelopment withhas abeen decisionaccepted onor your application.

    rejected

    Withdrawals and refunds 

    Once we have made a decision on your application you cannot withdraw it. Refunds will not be given.  given.

    You can read the terms and conditions for more information on withdrawals, refunds and how we approve or reject applications.

    SavingHow yourto progressapply

    Nationally significant infrastructure projects

    YouFor cannationally savesignificant yourinfrastructure applicationprojects and(NSIPs), comerequest backan toapplication itform atby anyemailing time.bng.applications@naturalengland.org.uk.

    Developements with planning permission

    ContinueFor developments with aplanning savedpermission, applicationyou can use this service to record an allocation of off-site gains.

    Start

    Signing into this service 

    You’ll need a Government Gateway account and a Defra account to sign into this service.

    If you do not already have these accounts or wish to create new ones, you can set these up when you use this service. 

    You should use your own email address for these accounts, so we can contact you about your application. It can be either your personal email or your work email, if you are applying for an organisation.

    Saving your progress

    You can save your application and come back to it at any time.

    Continue with a saved application

    Get help with your application 

    Email: biodiversitynetgainenquiries@naturalengland.org.uk

    We aim to reply within 10 working days.

    Give feedback on this guidance by completing a short survey.

    Updates to this page

    Published 12 February 2024
    Last updated 262 June 20252026 + show all updates
    1. Removed the contact telephone number due to changes to the service. If you need help, you should now email biodiversitynetgainenquiries@naturalengland.org.uk.

    Sign up for emails or print this page