Small builders, self-builders and agents in England
Free biodiversity net gain check: is your site exempt under the 0.2 hectare rule from 6 August 2026, and if not, what a biodiversity gain plan covers.
ePlan fills in
How it works
What you get
The check is free. The paperwork after it is drafted at the Householder appeal statement door.
Modeled on: gov.uk: Biodiversity net gain exempt developments; Biodiversity Gain Requirements (Exemptions) Regulations 2024, reg 7A
From public data
or less inside the red line is exempt from biodiversity net gain for applications made from 6 August 2026, unless the site has priority habitat
Source: Biodiversity Gain Requirements (Exemptions) Regulations 2024, reg 7A
Turn a refused extension into a householder appeal statement for the Planning Inspectorate, answering each refusal reason. Free to read, pay to download.
Questions
For applications made on or after 6 August 2026, sites of 0.2 hectares or less inside the red line boundary are exempt, unless they contain priority habitat. The self-build exemption was removed for applications from that date.
The guidance lists them. They include householder applications, development affecting less than 25 square metres of habitat or 5 metres of hedgerow (de minimis), and temporary permissions of up to 5 years.
Except for the small sites metric, the guidance says to hire a competent person, such as an ecologist, to complete the statutory biodiversity metric. The planning authority may reject a metric that hasn't been completed properly.
Related doors
Which application did the council refuse?
Where is the site with trees?
What's your planning reference?
What is the building used for now?
Where is the project in the UAE?
Where is the property for the DA?
Answer it and ePlan opens the Householder appeal statement door, which drafts the paperwork.