Register a biodiversity gain site
Find out what to do and how much it costs to register a biodiversity gain site.
Applies to England
Before you apply
You’ll need:
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the title deeds or lease agreement to prove ownership
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written authorisation from the landowner or leaseholder if you’re applying on their behalf
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a document or image showing the land boundary – this must not include any personal information, like a landowner’s name
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a legal agreement that secures the land for at least 30 years – this must be a planning obligation (Section 106 agreement) or conservation covenant
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completed statutory biodiversity metric tool calculations that include information about all the land secured by the legal agreement
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a habitat management and monitoring plan (this may be within your legal agreement)
Registration fees
It costs £639 to register a biodiversity gain site. You must pay within 28 days of submitting your application.
What happens after you apply
We will let you know within 6 weeks if:
- we need more information from you
- your application to register your biodiversity gain site has been accepted or rejected
If we accept your application, you will get an email with a gain site reference number. This is unique to your biodiversity gain site.
If we reject your application, we will let you know why.
If you also want to record allocation of off-site gains to a development
You can apply to register a biodiversity site and allocate to a development at the same time.
Signing into this service
You’ll need a Government Gateway account and a Defra account to sign into this service.
If you do not already have these accounts or wish to create new ones, you can set these up when you use this service.
You should use your own email address for these accounts, so we can contact you about your application. It can be either your personal email or your work email, if you are applying for an organisation.
Saving your progress
You can save your application and come back to it at any time.
Continue with a saved application
Withdrawals and refunds
Once we have made a decision on your application you cannot withdraw it. Refunds will not be given.
You can read the terms and conditions for more information on withdrawals, refunds and how we approve or reject applications.
Contact us if you need help
Telephone: 0300 060 3900
Opening times:
- March to September – Monday to Friday, 10am to 4pm
- October to February – Monday to Friday, 10am to 3pm
Closed on public holidays.
Email: biodiversitynetgainenquiries@naturalengland.org.uk
We aim to reply within 10 working days.
Last updated 26 April 2024 + show all updates
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Updated information on signing into this service to clarify that you should use your own email address to set up Government Gateway and Defra accounts, so we can contact you about your application. It can be either your personal email or your work email, if you are applying for an organisation.
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Opening times to helpline has changed to Monday to Friday, 10am to 3pm during October and February.
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First published.