Biodiversity Net Gain exemptions: Letter from the Environmental Policy Forum

At the end of 2025, the IES joined voices from across the environment sector in calling for the protection of Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG).

Planned exemptions by the UK Government could have removed as many as 97% of planning applications from BNG requirements. In the end, the Government was forced to reach a compromise after strong pressure from businesses, lawyers, and environmental groups, announcing an exemption for smaller sites up to 0.2 hectares. This proposal still significantly threatens the power of BNG to support nature recovery, so the IES and others is continuing to fight to stand up for an evidence-based approach to planning policy.

The Environmental Policy Forum (EPF) produced this letter, two days after the announcement, expressing concerns about the decision and putting pressure on the Secretaries of State to take an evidence-based approach. The IES supported the letter.

Header image credit: © denis via Adobe Stock