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BNG - Biodiversity Net Gain

 

Important Note

The Self-Sustaining Garden programme is not a Biodiversity Net Gain measure and does not generate BNG units.
It cannot be used to create, enhance or manage habitats for the purposes of the BNG Metric or the Biodiversity Gain Plan.


Copy-Ready Wording

Use the paragraph below in the supporting narrative of BNG documentation where post-occupation risk management is discussed, including Section 4.4 (Risks to Delivery) of the Biodiversity Gain Plan.

The Self-Sustaining Garden programme is not part of the Biodiversity Net Gain calculation and does not generate habitat units. It provides residents with simple, practical guidance that helps maintain soil health, planting resilience and the quality of domestic garden environments. This reduces post-occupation risks that may affect the condition of habitats created to deliver Biodiversity Net Gain and supports their long-term performance

 

What BNG Requires

To contribute to Biodiversity Net Gain, an action must:

  • Create, restore or enhance a mapped habitat
  • Be measured using the BNG Metric
  • Be secured for 30 years
  • Form part of an approved Biodiversity Gain Plan
  • Be monitored and reported

Only habitat-based interventions qualify.

 

What the Programme Does Not Do

The SSG programme:

  • Does not create habitat units
  • Does not enhance habitats for BNG purposes
  • Is not an on-site or off-site BNG intervention
  • Does not replace an HMMP or any secured management
  • Must not be included in the BNG Metric or used to claim credits

 

How the Programme Supports BNG Delivery

Although not part of the BNG calculation, the programme can support the successful delivery and long-term condition of habitats created through the BNG process by reducing common post-occupation risks.

It helps residents:

  • Avoid unnecessary soil disturbance near habitat areas
  • Reduce excessive vegetation removal
  • Support establishment of boundary planting where relevant to site design
  • Avoid unintentional disturbance of ecological features

This helps maintain the wider landscape context in which BNG habitats sit.

 

Where It Can Be Referenced

The programme may be referenced within the supporting narrative of the Biodiversity Net Gain Implementation Plan, typically under sections addressing risks to delivery or post-occupation behaviour (for example, Section 4: Risks to Delivery and Mitigation). It may also be included in any optional free-text field provided within the Biodiversity Gain Plan, if such a field is available. It must not appear in the BNG Metric or in any section used to calculate habitat units.

 

Do’s and Don’ts

Do:

  • Reference the programme when describing how post-occupation risks to habitat condition will be reduced
  • Position it as part of wider measures supporting habitat resilience
  • Use wording that clearly distinguishes it from formal BNG interventions 

Don’t:

  • Claim or imply that it generates BNG units
  • Describe it as habitat creation, restoration or enhancement
  • Insert it into the BNG Metric
  • Suggest it replaces secured ecological managementÂ