1. Who is the BNG lead within the council and what are their direct contact details?
Duncan Fisher - Ecology Officer
duncan.fisher@wokingham.gov.uk

2. What practices/processes do the council currently have, or intend to have, in place for how they are going to manage/monitor the 30-year requirement for Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) from November 2023 when 10% BNG becomes mandatory?
We are expecting monitoring to be covered within planning obligations and/or condition wording. Site monitoring costs will be covered as part of the development. Monitoring reports to be submitted to the local planning authority which will validate and cross-check the report findings. Monitoring report findings will be aggregated into summary information to meet the reporting requirements on the LPA expected to be detailed in the regulations.

3. What information/technology systems do you plan to utilise to manage/monitor the delivery of BNG?
We use EXACOM to monitor planning obligations. Depending on the regulations, we may well use GIS software such as ArcGIS to also aid monitoring and reporting.

4. Which outside bodies (eg. wildlife trusts, ecologists, community groups, habitat banks) are you working with to assist in delivering Biodiversity Net Gain?
We have worked with the charity Feeling Fruity to deliver new community orchards that we recognise as providing a biodiversity net gain. We are working with the Woodland Trust to deliver new tree and woodland planting which is providing a biodiversity net gain. We have no partnership agreements with the local wildlife trust or other community groups to deliver biodiversity net gain at the moment but will work collaboratively where partnership work meets joint objectives.

5. Is the council planning to use any of their own land to deliver BNG? If so, please provide details of the location and size.
We are conducting a review as to the suitability of council owned land to deliver BNG so this is considered a possibility. At the moment we have no firm details on the location and size.

6. What plans do you have in place, or intend to have for the training of staff on BNG?
We employ two ecology specialists to advise teams within the council. One has undertaken training in use of the Defra metric, the Modular River Survey condition assessment process, and surveying to the UK Hab standard. The other will undertake similar training in time for mandatory implementation of BNG. Internal training relevant for planning case officers is given by the ecology specialists. We also follow and attend webinars given by relevant organisations, e.g the Planning Advisory Service. Other training courses may be booked pending the publication of the regulations and a clearer picture of the monitoring and reporting process.