Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the evidential basis is for the proposed 0.2-hectare exemption from mandatory Biodiversity Net Gain.

The Government recently announced its intention to introduce a new 0.2 ha area exemption to ease burdens on small developers and local authorities whilst maintaining nature recovery at scale. A full consultation response is coming shortly, along with an evidence assessment. A full Impact Assessment will follow later in the year.

An implementation timeline will also be published along with the consultation response, setting out when changes will take effect. Until this is confirmed, the current BNG requirement remains in place and developers and local authorities should continue to follow existing guidance and legislation when delivering BNG.