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Planning guides: what to settle before you go to site

Practical guides to what the rules ask for, what the public record already shows, and what to settle before anyone goes to site. Every figure carries its source and the date we checked it.

BNG exemptions in 2026: which developments are exempt, and the test for each
Guide14 Nov 2026 · 8 minute read

BNG exemptions in 2026: which developments are exempt, and the test for each

Every biodiversity net gain exemption in England, the 0.2 hectare and temporary exemptions from 6 August 2026, and a free checker for your site.

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Peat landslide hazard and risk assessment in Scotland: when one is needed and what the Checking Report reviews
Guide10 Nov 2026 · 12 minute read

Peat landslide hazard and risk assessment in Scotland: when one is needed and what the Checking Report reviews

When a peat landslide hazard and risk assessment is needed in Scotland, what the guide suggests it shows and what the Checking Report reviews. With a free screening tool.

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Peat management plan: what it must contain and what a reviewer checks
Guide10 Nov 2026 · 12 minute read

Peat management plan: what it must contain and what a reviewer checks

What a peat management plan must contain, the excavation and reuse figures a reviewer tests, and the survey evidence each figure rests on. With sources.

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BNG for major infrastructure: setting the boundary and baseline on a linear route
Guide10 Nov 2026 · 11 minute read

BNG for major infrastructure: setting the boundary and baseline on a linear route

Biodiversity net gain has applied to major infrastructure since 2 November 2026. How to set the boundary and baseline on a linear route, with sources.

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Relying on third-party data in an environmental report: ten questions to ask first
Guide10 Nov 2026 · 12 minute read

Relying on third-party data in an environmental report: ten questions to ask first

Ten questions to ask before third-party data goes into an environmental report, with the answer a good supplier should be able to give to each one.

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How accurate is the England Peat Map? What national peat maps support at site scale
Guide10 Nov 2026 · 13 minute read

How accurate is the England Peat Map? What national peat maps support at site scale

What the England Peat Map and other national peat maps are designed to support, how map depth compares with probed depth, and what a site decision needs.

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Peatland restoration feasibility: how to scope a site before the survey
Guide10 Nov 2026 · 13 minute read

Peatland restoration feasibility: how to scope a site before the survey

How to scope a peatland restoration site before the feasibility survey: eligibility, likely survey effort and where to probe first. Sourced and dated.

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Desk study for a pipeline, cable or grid route: the evidence a corridor option needs
Guide10 Nov 2026 · 12 minute read

Desk study for a pipeline, cable or grid route: the evidence a corridor option needs

The early evidence a pipeline, cable or grid corridor option needs: ground, peat, habitats and heritage, in the order a routeing team will use them.

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Satellite ground motion in a desk study: how to use the 2020 to 2024 European data
Guide10 Nov 2026 · 12 minute read

Satellite ground motion in a desk study: how to use the 2020 to 2024 European data

How to use European Ground Motion Service data for 2020 to 2024 in a geotechnical desk study: scale of use, what each product shows and how to report it.

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Pricing a fixed-fee survey when you cannot see the ground: where to spend field days
Guide10 Nov 2026 · 11 minute read

Pricing a fixed-fee survey when you cannot see the ground: where to spend field days

How to price a fixed-fee survey when the ground is unknown: what a desk read settles before the bid, and where to spend field days in a short season.

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Wildfire risk on peatland: what a fire season means for a restoration project
Guide10 Nov 2026 · 13 minute read

Wildfire risk on peatland: what a fire season means for a restoration project

What a fire season means for a peatland project, its carbon buyers and its insurers: the published figures, the open rules and how to read site risk.

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The peat depth gap: where the open measurements are
Guide10 Nov 2026 · 10 minute read

The peat depth gap: where the open measurements are

82 per cent of mapped peat across Britain and Ireland lies more than 1 km from any openly published peat depth measurement. Look up your area.

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Peat surveys for wind farms and grid lines in Scotland: what the guidance asks for
Guide10 Nov 2026 · 8 minute read

Peat surveys for wind farms and grid lines in Scotland: what the guidance asks for

The two survey phases, probe spacings, records and outputs Scottish guidance expects on peat before a layout is fixed, and where a desk read saves fieldwork.

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Peatland Code version 2.1: the evidence a project needs before validation
Guide10 Nov 2026 · 6 minute read

Peatland Code version 2.1: the evidence a project needs before validation

What the Peatland Code field protocol asks for, how long survey data stays valid, and why 430 registered projects have produced only two verified ones.

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Biodiversity net gain baselines: what has to be right before the metric is run
Guide10 Nov 2026 · 6 minute read

Biodiversity net gain baselines: what has to be right before the metric is run

The biodiversity net gain rules in force in November 2026, where approved gain plans go wrong, and how to build a baseline that survives a second look.

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