WYCA to become BNG habitat provider
Four of West Yorkshire’s local authorities will join forces to provide housebuilders with council-owned land to fulfil their biodiversity net gain requirements.
At a meeting on Thursday, the West Yorkshire Combined Authority will be asked to approve itself acting as a BNG responsible body for the areas of Bradford, Calderdale, Kirklees, and Wakefield.
Leeds is not joining the group, as the city has gone its own way in developing a special purpose vehicle to manage its BNG commitments independently.
Leeds City Council has said this is because of the sheer amount of development in the district, resulting in the need for the local authority to act quickly and not adversely impact the pace of delivery.
The hope is that with the other four districts aligned as one service for habitat banks, it will provide a straightforward system for developers and investors.
Timelines for the project indicate that, if approved, the combined authority’s BNG service would start operating by mid-2025.
Each of the four local authorities will be responsible for the sale of BNG units within their administrative area, and communications and marketing will be aligned with the Leeds’ separate SPV.
The service will need an estimated £125,000 of gainshare funding to get it off the ground, after which it will operate on a cost-neutral basis, with local administrative fees included in the cost of the BNG units sold to developers.
