An innovative partnership is helping local planning authorities meet new biodiversity requirements.

The collaboration between South Downs National Park Authority and Rural Solutions aims to help authorities comply with the mandatory 10 per cent biodiversity net gain (BNG) requirement for many developments.

The park authority, one of the UK's busiest planning authorities, has been leading the way on BNG with its "ReNature" scheme.

The authority has partnered with consultants Rural Solutions to offer a tailored set-up service for BNG to local planning authorities.

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The partnership, named ReNature Through Planning, provides guidance on nature-based solutions, helping authorities navigate the complex system.

The set-up package includes document templates, training, and consultancy support.

Nicole Wright, head of planning at Rural Solutions, said: "A dynamic planning system is key to ensuring development interventions provide optimally designed places and the need for development proposals to consider opportunities for enhancing natural habitats is central to achieving the sustainable development goals.

"This objective must be pursued with or without the mandatory legal requirement."

Mark Alden, nature-based solutions manager for the South Downs National Park, said: "With more than 300 planning authorities in England, there’s a big job to be done in terms of making sure that busy, and frankly, often stretched, planning departments are fully up-to-speed on all the changes around Biodiversity Net Gain.

"We’re excited to be working with the team at Rural Solutions who advise on planning applications on a daily basis to offer this set-up service that can make the transition seamless and stress-free."

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The National Park Authority launched its ReNature campaign three years ago to create 13,000 hectares of new habitat by 2030.

Since then, the National Park has helped to create more than 400 hectares of new wildlife habitat and improved 4,312 hectares of existing habitat.

Last year, 31 hectares of land at the Iford Estate, East Sussex, became the National Park’s first formally registered land dedicated to Biodiversity Net Gain provision through a S106 agreement.

Earlier this year, the South Downs became the first National Park in the UK to open up a formal scheme for voluntary biodiversity gain to the private sector.

More than 500 hectares of land across Hampshire and Sussex have already been earmarked for biodiversity restoration through future green finance investment.

Authorities interested in the set-up service can email renature@ruralsolutions.co.uk or call 01756 797501.