When you see building work and general developments popping up here, there, and everywhere in your local community, it’s understandable to be concerned about how these matters impact the environment, biodiversity and your enjoyment of the natural world. If you’re getting into the development business yourself, this is also a concern you’re likely pondering as you endeavour to leave the community in a better place than before you began.
While it might seem like this work has little concern for these important aspects, the government and local authorities are required to be very attentive to environmental stability by law. In this article, we’re going to give you a quick primer on how natural surroundings are protected.
The Basics
In the U.K., developments have to maintain a critical balance: work that promotes economic growth can have a hugely positive impact on local communities and ultimately, the quality of people’s lives, but it is required to be carefully balanced with the conservation of the natural flora and fauna.
Governing bodies like the National Planning Policy Framework (or NPPF for short) lay out foundational rules for the protection of greenspaces and sustainable and efficient use of resources. With these principles at the core, other programs are then utilised to augment their effects and create a robust set of policies.
Assessments Determining Environmental Impact
Before any work can take place, a lot of planning must be undertaken. A crucial part of this involves an Environmental Impact Assessment (or EIC): this scrutinises any proposed development for all possible environmental detriments. All possible factors, such as water pollution, air quality, risks to animal populations, and more, are carefully considered during this stage.
Anything that’s flagged up on the report has to be changed accordingly, and as such, the EIC has a huge impact in minimizing any potential negative impact.
Biodiversity Net Gain
Further to the above two rigorously employed strategies, there’s also the concept of Biodiversity Net Gain (or BNG). Essentially, these policies dictate that any development leaves the land and wider natural environment in a better state than beforehand, offering a concrete metric to show that protective efforts present tangible results. BNG requires at least a 10% increase in biodiversity versus the land’s original state.
If you’re in the business of development, Biodiversity Net Gain Services Developers offer off-the-peg units which drastically streamline the process: aspects such as land reviews, establishing viability, and producing reports are each taken care of by buying these packages.
Wrapping Up
Straddling the line between improving society with new, innovative development and protecting the natural environment can be a complex endeavour, but hopefully, this article has revealed how the process works to minimise any negative impact. As is the case with BNG, we can observe that biodiversity even sees a net gain.
As a member of the public, you should be reassured that all is done to protect the world you live in; as a developer, your projects have the potential to enhance not only the way people live, but also the ability to work towards a brighter ecological future.
