{"id":824,"date":"2026-09-17T11:05:36","date_gmt":"2026-09-17T10:05:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/southwest-environmental.co.uk\/blog\/?p=824"},"modified":"2026-09-17T12:46:46","modified_gmt":"2026-09-17T11:46:46","slug":"biodiversity-net-gain-assessment-for-residential-development-in-lyminge-kent","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/southwest-environmental.co.uk\/blog\/2026\/09\/17\/biodiversity-net-gain-assessment-for-residential-development-in-lyminge-kent\/","title":{"rendered":"Biodiversity Net Gain Assessment for Residential Development in Lyminge, Kent"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Biodiversity Net Gain Assessment for Residential Development in Lyminge, Kent<\/h1>\n

Southwest Environmental Limited was commissioned by an individual to prepare a Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) Report for a proposed development located in Lyminge, Kent[cite: 2]. The project site is situated within the planning authority of Folkestone and Hythe District Council[cite: 2]. The proposed development involves the stationing of one mobile home, complete with a utility block, parking areas, and access roads[cite: 2]. This project was completed with a short lead time to ensure the applicant could proceed with their planning submission without delay.<\/p>\n

Baseline Ecological Conditions<\/h2>\n

A site visit was conducted by a Project Ecologist to establish the baseline ecological conditions[cite: 2]. The methodology followed standard UKHab survey practices[cite: 2]. The site predominantly consists of Other Neutral Grassland in poor condition, alongside developed land with sealed surfaces and artificially unvegetated unsealed surfaces[cite: 2]. The baseline biodiversity value was calculated using the Statutory Biodiversity Metric Calculation Tool (Defra, 2025, version 1.0.4), in accordance with the mandatory requirements set out in the Environment Act 2021<\/a>. The baseline evaluation yielded 0.88 Habitat units and 0.00 Hedgerow units[cite: 2].<\/p>\n

\"Tonbridge

Tonbridge Castle gatehouse and adjoining Georgian mansion, A Kentish Landmark.<\/p><\/div>\n

Proposed Mitigation and Biodiversity Enhancements<\/h2>\n

To meet the statutory requirement of a 10% net gain, a comprehensive landscape plan was developed[cite: 2]. The primary mitigation strategy involves the enhancement of 3,300 square meters of the existing Other Neutral Grassland from a “Poor” to “Moderate” condition[cite: 2]. This will be achieved by implementing a strict cutting regime and removing arisings to reduce soil nutrient levels, coupled with the introduction of native wildflower species[cite: 2].<\/p>\n

In addition to grassland management, the project requires the planting of 63 meters of native hedgerow to achieve a “Moderate” condition[cite: 2]. The species mix will include native varieties such as Hawthorn, Blackthorn, Hazel, and Field Maple, providing vital connectivity for local wildlife[cite: 2]. Additional ecological recommendations include the installation of bat boxes, bird boxes, invertebrate habitats, and hedgehog houses[cite: 2]. Lighting protocols were also stipulated to prevent adverse impacts on nocturnal invertebrate and bat populations[cite: 2].<\/p>\n

Metric Outcomes and Reporting<\/h2>\n

Following the application of the specified mitigation measures, the post-development metric calculations demonstrate that the site will deliver 0.11 Habitat units and 0.21 Hedgerow units[cite: 2]. This equates to a 12.14% net gain in Habitat units, successfully exceeding the mandatory 10% threshold[cite: 2]. All trading rules have been satisfied through the beneficial increase of medium distinctiveness habitats[cite: 2].<\/p>\n

The full methodology and calculations are documented in the formal report, available in the file named GreenLane_BNG.pdf, and supplementary operational notes are recorded in the file named Business Update & and Blog from report .txt. A 30-year BNG Management and Monitoring Plan will be established to secure the condition and persistence of all new and enhanced habitats[cite: 2].<\/p>\n

For further information on our ecological services and statutory metric calculations, please visit the Biodiversity Net Gain services page on www.southwest-environmental.co.uk<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Please contact us if you would like a fixed price quotation.<\/p>\n<\/article>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Biodiversity Net Gain Assessment for Residential Development in Lyminge, Kent Southwest Environmental Limited was commissioned by an individual to prepare a Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) Report for a proposed development located in Lyminge, Kent[cite: 2]. The project site is situated within the planning authority of Folkestone and Hythe District Council[cite: 2]. The proposed development involves […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[77,122,75],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-824","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-biodiversity","category-bng-assessment","category-ecology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/southwest-environmental.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/824","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/southwest-environmental.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/southwest-environmental.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/southwest-environmental.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/southwest-environmental.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=824"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/southwest-environmental.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/824\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":827,"href":"https:\/\/southwest-environmental.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/824\/revisions\/827"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/southwest-environmental.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=824"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/southwest-environmental.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=824"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/southwest-environmental.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=824"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}