Created by Future Homes Hub - A checklist in the absence of a Section 106 agreement, conservation covenant and Biodiversity Gain Site Registration.
This checklist is intended for developers to give confidence that the offset provider has, or will be developing, a credible biodiversity offset if it has not yet been legally secured or registered. It is based on a set of principles formalised by Business and Biodiversity Offsets Programme (BBOP) in 2018 that are still relevant today.
It is understood that these principles are being updated for the Nature Market by BSI, but until they are published, this checklist is intended to help assess the credibility of an offset being marketed by a provider. The developer should ensure that they have followed all due process and the most up-to-date guidance associated with delivering a biodiversity net gain for a development prior to the identification of a suitable offset provider. This includes implementation of the mitigation hierarchy and establishing the type and amount of units required using the Statutory Metric.
Please note that the checklist below only demonstrates that the offset meets the BBOP principles. It recommended that the developer undertakes adequate due diligence on the offset provider and their business credentials, to ensure that the business is a going concern.