One of the biggest changes is a new exemption for small development sites. Sites of 0.2 hectares or less would no longer need to meet BNG rules unless they affect important habitats. The Government estimates this could remove about half of residential planning applications from the BNG requirements, meaning fewer improvements for wildlife and less new habitat being created. 

There are also concerns about proposed exemptions for brownfield sites. These areas are not always low value, many support wildlife, including some rare species. If exemptions are not carefully designed, we risk repeating past mistakes where nature has been lost unnecessarily. We will be watching this to make sure important wildlife sites are protected or properly mitigated for. 

There are some exemptions that will aid the delivery of sites that benefit wildlife; these are development whose primary objective is to conserve or enhance biodiversity and development that enhances parks, public gardens, and playing fields, provided it is ancillary to the existing use and no priority habitats are impacted. 

The Government has confirmed that BNG will apply to Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects (NSIPs) from November and has agreed to remove the self-build exemption. The de minimis exemption - which exempts sites that only has a small area or length of habitat impacted by the development - will be reviewed after it has caused problems in practice. 

While these changes are better than expected, they are not enough. Taken together, the exemptions could still lead to greater losses for nature through development. Getting the balance right will be crucial if BNG is to deliver real benefits for wildlife.  

We will continue to speak up for the strongest possible outcomes for nature and for a BNG system that supports well-designed development and meaningful nature recovery across Staffordshire.