If you are delivering a development in the BCP Council area, the recent changes to BNG spatial risk rules have quietly opened up a new option for your off-site biodiversity units.
Here is what changed, and why it matters.
The Old Boundary Problem
Until now, the BNG spatial risk multiplier — the mechanism that penalises off-site units located far from a development — was calculated using Local Planning Authority boundaries and National Character Areas.
BCP Council sits within National Character Area 135 (Dorset Heaths). Most off-site habitat banks in Dorset, including registered sites in the chalk downland further north, fall within NCA 134 (Dorset Downs and Cranborne Chase). Different NCA. Different LPA. That meant a spatial risk penalty: your off-site units were worth less, and you needed to buy more of them to hit the same 10% BNG target.
For developers in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole, this created an awkward situation. The BCP area is heavily urbanised with limited land for habitat creation, yet the nearest habitat banks — just a few miles into rural Dorset — were penalised as if they were in a different region entirely.
Under the old NCA system, BCP and The Ferals sat in different zones with a spatial risk penalty. Under the new LNRS system, both fall within a single Dorset area — no penalty.
What Changed
In April 2026, Defra confirmed a package of updates to the statutory biodiversity metric. Among them: spatial risk for area habitats will now be assessed using Local Nature Recovery Strategy areas only. National Character Areas and Local Planning Authority boundaries are being removed from the calculation.
This is not a minor technical adjustment. It reshapes the off-site market geography for large parts of England.
Why This Matters for BCP Developments
The Dorset Local Nature Recovery Strategy covers the entire Dorset geography — both Dorset Council and BCP Council areas. It was co-produced by both councils alongside Natural England and published as a single, unified strategy.
Under the new rules, any development within the Dorset LNRS area can purchase off-site BNG units from any registered habitat bank within the same LNRS area — with no spatial risk penalty.
For BCP developers, this means:
- Access to established habitat banks in rural Dorset that were previously penalised by the spatial multiplier
- No need to overpurchase units to compensate for cross-boundary distance
- A wider choice of high-quality off-site solutions, particularly for area habitat units that are difficult to deliver in urban settings
- Strategic alignment — units from Dorset habitat banks can qualify for the LNRS strategic significance uplift (a 15% bonus in the metric) if the habitat creation aligns with the strategy's identified priorities
The Ferals — Registered Habitat Bank in Dorset
The Ferals is a BNG habitat bank based in Tarrant Keyneston, in the heart of rural Dorset. We are registered on the Natural England BNG Register (reference BGS-180925001) and deliver high-quality habitat creation on chalk downland — one of the priority habitats identified in the Dorset LNRS.
We offer:
- Area habitat units across multiple distinctiveness bands
- A site within the same Dorset LNRS area as BCP — meaning no spatial risk penalty for Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole developments
- Habitat creation that aligns with Dorset LNRS priorities, supporting the strategic significance multiplier in the metric
- A straightforward purchasing process with clear pricing and legal agreements
Whether you are an ecological consultancy advising a client, a developer working through a planning condition, or an agent managing BNG obligations, we can supply the off-site units you need — locally, and without the spatial risk penalty that previously applied.
When Do the Changes Take Effect?
The switch to LNRS-based spatial risk assessment is confirmed but the secondary legislation has not yet been laid. Defra's published timeline indicates the metric updates will be introduced later in 2026, following the initial tranche of changes expected by 31 July 2026.
We recommend that developers and their ecological consultants factor this change into current and upcoming BNG strategies. If you are working on a scheme in BCP that will submit its metric after the change takes effect, the spatial risk calculation will already reflect the new LNRS boundary.
For schemes submitting earlier, it is worth noting that many local planning authorities are already taking a pragmatic approach to off-site delivery within the same LNRS area, particularly where the habitat bank is registered and the units align with strategic priorities.
Get in Touch
If you are working on a development in Bournemouth, Christchurch or Poole and need off-site BNG units, we would be happy to discuss what we can offer. Contact us at [email protected] to talk through your requirements.
Sources: Defra — Biodiversity Net Gain: What's Changing (April 2026) · Government Response — Improving BNG Implementation · Dorset Council — Local Nature Recovery Strategy · BCP Council — Endorsement of the Dorset LNRS