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Brent, London

Biodiversity net gain plans in Brent

Brent asks for biodiversity net gain information on every application that is not exempt, and sets the target at statutory 10%, which is the national figure. A household extension is exempt. A new home, or flats built on a former garden, is not. We prepare the plan on a fixed quote after a free constraints check, and tell you first whether it applies.

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    Architectural model of a four-storey London stucco townhouse in its terrace, with a portico, area railings, sash windows, a cornice and chimney stacks
    The house as it stands: four storeys over a lower ground floor.Existing Proposed worksAn illustrative model, built for this page.

    How we work on biodiversity net gain plans

    Seven steps from first call to approval.

    The same model cut through the middle: every floor, the stair, the chimney breasts, the new mansard, rear extension and basement in section
    Section through the model: every floor on one datum.

    1. Enquiry and constraints check

      We check the property against conservation areas, listed status, Article 4 directions, tree preservation orders, flood zone and planning history. We choose the right route and send a fixed quote.

    2. Measured survey

      We survey the house on one datum: rooms, levels, boundaries, drains, trees and the neighbours' windows that the 45° and 25° tests depend on.

    3. Design options

      We model the house in Revit and show you options in 3D and plan, with the planning strategy and the precedents in your street.

    4. Design frozen

      You choose an option in writing. Nothing changes after this without your say.

    5. Independent check

      A second chartered technologist checks every sheet against the council's validation checklist and the policy. A senior review signs it off before anything is submitted.

    6. Submission

      We prepare the forms, certificates, fee and documents and submit through the Planning Portal.

    7. Officer liaison

      We answer the planning officer and make any amendments within five working days, at no charge until approval.

    Free redraws until approval. Every drawing set is checked independently, and the checker is never the person who drew it.

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    Rows of brick terraced houses and gardens on a residential street

    How Brent's validation list handles net gain

    Brent's validation list for full, outline and technical details consent applications names net gain as a national requirement. It says the metric must accompany all major applications from the regime start in the first quarter of its first year, and all non-exempt applications a couple of months later. The value it records is statutory 10%, and the council states no figure above that.

    Two practical points follow. First, the list treats the metric as part of the application, so it has to be there on day one rather than arriving later with a condition response. Second, because nothing local is added, the quality of the baseline survey is what decides the outcome. A baseline that undersells the habitat on site makes the gain harder to reach than it needs to be.

    In practice this means we start with the survey. A competent ecologist visits in the growing season where possible, records each habitat parcel with its condition, and flags any tree that may be protected. We then draw the parcels on the existing-site sheet, so the officer can compare the survey, the spreadsheet and the plan on a single page and find no contradiction between them.

    Georgian brick terrace with sash windows, arched fanlight doorways, stone steps and iron railings in London

    Local figures for Brent

    Figures with their unit, period and source
    MeasureValuePeriodSource
    BNG information including the BNG metric is a national requirement: all major applications from February 2024 and all applications except exempt ones from April 2024. No local BNG figure above the statutory 10% found.statutory 10%—brent.gov.uk, Brent validation list: Full, Outline, Technical Details Consent applications, p.1, 'Biodiversity Net Gain information'
    Tree preservation orders1,229 tree preservation orders published by the council—planning.data.gov.uk
    Tree preservation zones301 tree preservation zone polygons published by the council—planning.data.gov.uk
    Households living in a house43.3 % of households living in a house or bungalow (detached, semi-detached or terraced)Census 2021nomisweb.co.uk
    Domestic gardens share of land (GLUD 2005)30.3 % of land that is domestic garden (GLUD 2005)2005data.london.gov.uk
    Householder applications granted86.6 %1 July 2025 - 30 June 2026assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Environment Act 2021 Sch 14 para 2, inserting Sch 7A TCPA 1990: 'relevant percentage' 10%10 %—legislation.gov.uk
    'Developments of 0.2 hectares or below': from 6 August 2026 BNG does not apply where the site area within the red line boundary is 0.2 ha or below0.2 ha—gov.uk
    'Developments subject to the de minimis rule': impact on less than 25 m2 (5 m by 5 m) of on-site habitat25 m2—gov.uk
    Sch 7A para 9(3) as inserted: enhancement maintained for at least 30 years after completion30 years—legislation.gov.uk

    A blank value means the figure has not been published, not that there are none. Check your own address with the council.

    Councils bordering Brent
    Which application your project needsLawful Development Certificate decision: 8 weeks. Prior approval decision: 42 days. Householder decision: 8 weeksYour projectWithin permitted development?Lawful Development CertificatePrior approvalHouseholder applicationYesLarger rear extensionNoABC

    Which application your project needs

    The usual route for a house; flats and listed buildings follow other rules.

    A · Lawful Development Certificate decision
    8 weeks
    B · Prior approval decision
    42 days
    C · Householder decision
    8 weeks

    A dense borough with more trees than you would expect

    Brent has 1,229 tree preservation orders covering 301 mapped zones, and only 43.3 per cent of households live in a house. With so many flats, the gardens that do exist carry real weight, and domestic gardens still cover 30.3 per cent of the land.

    That mix shapes the work. On a tight site the baseline may be a single protected tree and a lawn, and the design has to protect the tree, keep its roots clear of drainage and add habitat somewhere else on the plot. Where the plot is too small for that, a green roof and planted boundary can supply a lot of the gain without taking floor area.

    Brent's own design guidance and where it meets the gain

    The council's Residential Extensions and Alterations Supplementary Planning Document and its Brent Design Guide Supplementary Planning Document (SPD1) set how much of a garden may be built on. Those limits fix the habitat left behind, which is the starting point for the post-development score. Brent also publishes a Basement Supplementary Planning Document and a Houses in Multiple Occupation SPD, which matter if your scheme includes a lower ground floor or a conversion to shared housing.

    We read the guidance and the metric together, because a design that satisfies the first can still leave too little habitat for the second. Fixing it on paper, before the application, costs far less than a revised submission.

    For a new dwelling or a conversion, our flat conversion drawings and new build drawings pages show how the drawings are prepared.

    Who needs a plan in Brent

    Householder schemes and permitted development are exempt, and the council still expects the application form to say so. Sites of 0.2 hectares or below are exempt, and impacts under 25 square metres of habitat are excluded.

    Householder applications do well in Brent: the council granted 86.6 per cent of the 879 it decided in the latest returns. Larger schemes face a different test, and the gain is part of it.

    Brent's refusal pattern for larger home extensions through prior approval, shown by 79 refusals against 10 grants, is worth knowing before you choose a route. Both routes sit outside the gain requirement, so the choice between them turns on design and neighbour impact rather than on ecology.

    Price and next step

    A plan has no list price, because the cost depends on the habitats and trees on the site. You receive a fixed quote after a free constraints check.

    Read the national rules on our biodiversity net gain page, or see every service we offer on the Brent area page.

    What you receive

    Planning drawing sheet for a rear extension with plans, elevations and sections
    Sample drawing. Planning drawings for a rear extension: plans, elevations and sections on one sheet set.
    Brick cottage with a tiled roof, chimneys and a front dormer window
    The street around you
    Move across the plinth — the blocks rise around the pointer.

    Other services in Brent

    Biodiversity net gain plans nearby

    Questions

    Does Brent set a higher gain than the national figure?

    No. The validation list records statutory 10% and no higher local figure.

    When must the metric be submitted?

    With the application. Brent's list treats it as part of the submission for any scheme that is not exempt.

    Do protected trees matter?

    Yes. Brent publishes 1,229 tree preservation orders, and a protected tree adds value to the baseline that the scheme must replace if it is lost.

    How long is the gain kept?

    At least 30 years after completion.

    Sources and dates

    City of London skyline glowing at dusk across the Thames under a dramatic orange sky

    Tell us about your property.

    We check the constraints, then send a fixed fee. Messages before 3pm get a reply the same working day.

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