As a UK Environmental Consultancy and Biodiversity Net Gain Unit Brokerage, we know it’s the hidden costs of sourcing suitable BNG units that have the real knock-on effect for developers.
From time lost to trawling online portals, misunderstood technicalities and units that don’t fit regulatory requirements, sourcing units isn’t as simple as it appears. It requires ecological understanding, knowledge of the market and the right habitat bank. Our Senior Specialist, Harry Reed, covers some of the hidden costs of sourcing BNG units to developers and how to avoid them.
Your Time is Precious
Time is gold to developers working to tight deadlines with project costs quickly snowballing with every missed milestone.
As of early 2026, there was over 291 registered habitat banks across England. While a search for BNG units might appear simple, many developers underestimate how time consuming and onerous finding the right habitat bank is due to availability changes, varying response times and differing pricing structures. On top of this there’s no guarantee units will be available in the same region.
A Complex Market
No two developments are the same. Each development generates a specific biodiversity deficit, determined by the Statutory Biodiversity Metric , which indicates what habitats are required to compensate for losses, following strict trading rules.
One of the biggest misconceptions surrounding BNG is that biodiversity units are interchangeable, but it isn’t always the case.
BNG units usually fall under three main categories: Area units, Hedgerow units and Watercourse units. If you have more than one category within your baseline, a 10% BNG must be achieved per unit type. They can’t be interchanged for one another due to each category serving a distinct ecological function.
Metric Mishaps
When developers rely on simplified online metric calculators or attempt to interpret the metric themselves there is greater margin for costly errors, such as purchasing more units than necessary. In other cases, developers have bought units that don't satisfy their planning requirements.
A simple solution to this is to consult an experienced ecologist who can look beyond the numbers. They understand how habitats interact within the metric and can identify opportunities that automated calculators simply cannot. Different habitat types vary significantly in cost, and careful ecological assessment can often identify more efficient solutions without compromising compliance. In many cases the combined cost of ecological advice and brokerage is lower than the cost of purchasing unnecessary units.
Why Developers Use BNG Brokerage
BNG is an essential requirement for gaining planning permission in England and it’s here to stay. As developers navigate the change in the regulatory landscape, they require confidence that unit requirements have been interpreted correctly, suitable habitat banks have been identified, commercial negotiations explored and potential risks have been mitigated early in the planning process.
A brokering service, facilitated by Chartered Ecologists, extends well beyond making introductions, it expedites the search for high-quality habitat banks whilst facilitating productive conversations and negotiations between landowners and developers. This helps both parties understand each other's objectives while ensuring the solution satisfies planning policy, ecological requirements and commercial expectations.
Finding Your Perfect Match
At Biodiverse Brokering, we work with more than 60 registered habitat banks across England and already understand what each site can offer result-driven developers. Our established relationships mean we can often negotiate pricing, work within developer’s programme constraints and secure quotations within days rather than weeks.
It's not only about timesaving. As practising ecologists, we assess habitat banks through a different lens. We have even designed many of the habitat banks in our network whilst hosting detailed technical discussions with others, ensuring ecological integrity, before committing them to our books.
We also build good relationships with our book of habitat banks, ensuring open conversations around unit pricing.
Where local habitat banks are limited, we can identify suitable alternatives further afield while ensuring developments remain compliant with the Biodiversity Metric and trading rules. In some situations, a habitat bank located slightly further away can provide a more commercially attractive solution once pricing is negotiated and availability is considered.
Buy Off-Site BNG Units
Looking for off-site BNG units for your development? Our BNG Brokering Specialists and Accredited Ecologists are on hand to guide you through the process, ensuring you find the right solution for your project delivery requirements, without any of the hidden costs.
With more than 60 high-integrity habitat banks across England on our books, we have brokered over £2 million biodiversity units to delivery-focused developers. Let's discuss your project.
Book a free consultation via the online form below, phone: 01913 037 805, or email us at enquiries@biodiverseconsulting.co.uk
