Opportunities and challenges posed by biodiversity net gain regulations highlighted at Romsey seminar

Landowners and farmers heard first-hand what the latest biodiversity net gain (BNG) regulations mean for them.

More than 40 representatives from across the agriculture, development and real estate sectors came together for the seminar hosted by law firm Thrings at its Romsey offices.

They heard experts from a range of professional services including commercial, legal, financial and ecological.

The first of the three guest speakers was Christopher Sparrow, Managing Director, National Capital Advisory, and Board member for the Environmental Farmers Group (EFG).

He gave a detailed introduction to the work of the EFG and highlighted its efforts to support members in marketing development, pursuing environmental initiatives such as BNG and nutrient neutrality.

Providing an ecological perspective on BNG was Nicola French, Director of Holbury Consultancy Service.

She talked about the detail behind the Statutory Biodiversity Metric, the need for developers to balance the books in terms of BNG units and how establishing habitat banks can be commercial opportunities for landowners.

The final guest speaker, Peter Harker, Partner at accountancy firm Saffery, covered the finer points of taxation and accounting for BNG.

He also discussed the breaking news of the government’s response being published on taxing environmental land management and ecosystem service markets.

Also speaking at the event were Thrings lawyers Harvey Davies and Jonathan Thompson, from the firm’s Planning and Environment and Agriculture teams respectively.

Mark Charter, Partner in the Thrings Agriculture team and Chair of the seminar, said: “Biodiversity net gain is fast becoming one of the biggest opportunities for farmers and landowners to make use of their estates in a way that helps generate a consistent income.

“With BNG regulations now in force, we are seeing a lot more interest from clients across the country in terms of seeking advice on how it can benefit them.

“It was great to be able to host this event and share the latest information and advice.”

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