---
title: "BNG exemptions 2026: which developments are exempt | Vireo"
description: "Every biodiversity net gain exemption in England: 0.2 hectares, de minimis, temporary, householder and self-build, the test for each, and a free checker."
image: https://www.vireonature.com/hubfs/og/og3_bngex.jpg
---

[Skip to content](https://www.vireonature.com/insights/bng-exemptions#main) [**New**Launch price: the first ten sites get the Site Evidence Pack at £3,600. Check whether your site qualifiesLaunch offer: £3,600 a site. Check yours→](https://www.vireonature.com/pre-survey-pack)

[![Vireo Nature](https://www.vireonature.com/hs-fs/hubfs/logo_rev_1.png?width=113&height=54&name=logo_rev_1.png)](https://www.vireonature.com/)

Solutions

By project

[**Wind and grid**Wind farms, substations, grid links](https://www.vireonature.com/solutions/wind-and-grid)[**Water and catchments**Flood risk, SuDS and nutrients](https://www.vireonature.com/solutions/water-and-catchments)[**Ground movement and slopes**Subsidence, mining risk, slopes](https://www.vireonature.com/solutions/ground-and-slopes)[**Linear routes *Guide***Cable, pipeline, road and rail](https://www.vireonature.com/insights/linear-route-desk-study)

By market

[**Biodiversity net gain**BNG assessment, gain plans, units](https://www.vireonature.com/solutions/biodiversity-net-gain)[**Offshore wind and marine**Seabed, scour, plumes, coast](https://www.vireonature.com/solutions/offshore-and-marine)[**Environmental digital twin**Field to nation, in 3D](https://www.vireonature.com/solutions/environmental-digital-twin)[**Peatland carbon *Guide***Peatland Code evidence and credits](https://www.vireonature.com/insights/peatland-code-evidence)[**Land and restoration *Guide***Feasibility, condition, carbon](https://www.vireonature.com/insights/peatland-restoration-feasibility-scoping)

Not sure where your site fits?[Send it to us →](https://www.vireonature.com/#talk)

Services

Evidence packs

[**Site Evidence Pack**£3,600 launch price, first ten sites](https://www.vireonature.com/pre-survey-pack)[**Corridor Evidence Pack**£9,600 launch price, ten corridors](https://www.vireonature.com/inside-a-corridor)

Surveys and data

[**Drone and sensor surveys**LiDAR, thermal, InSAR, GPR and more](https://www.vireonature.com/solutions/drone-and-sensor-surveys)[**Data sources**Satellite, LiDAR, water and soil](https://www.vireonature.com/data)

Free tools

[**Carbon calculator**Peatland carbon in tonnes of CO2e](https://www.vireonature.com/calculators/carbon)[**BNG exemption checker**Six questions, the GOV.UK tests](https://www.vireonature.com/insights/bng-exemptions)

Packs, assessments and field capture.[All services and prices →](https://www.vireonature.com/offers)

[How it works](https://www.vireonature.com/how-it-works)[Results](https://www.vireonature.com/results)[Report](https://www.vireonature.com/report)[Insights](https://www.vireonature.com/insights)[Check my site](https://www.vireonature.com/#talk)

![Vireo Nature](https://www.vireonature.com/hs-fs/hubfs/logo_rev_1.png?width=96&height=46&name=logo_rev_1.png)

×

Solutions

By project

[Wind and gridWind farms, substations, grid links](https://www.vireonature.com/solutions/wind-and-grid)[Water and catchmentsFlood risk, SuDS and nutrients](https://www.vireonature.com/solutions/water-and-catchments)[Ground movement and slopesSubsidence, mining risk, slopes](https://www.vireonature.com/solutions/ground-and-slopes)[Linear routes *Guide*Cable, pipeline, road and rail](https://www.vireonature.com/insights/linear-route-desk-study)

By market

[Biodiversity net gainBNG assessment, gain plans, units](https://www.vireonature.com/solutions/biodiversity-net-gain)[Offshore wind and marineSeabed, scour, plumes, coast](https://www.vireonature.com/solutions/offshore-and-marine)[Environmental digital twinField to nation, in 3D](https://www.vireonature.com/solutions/environmental-digital-twin)[Peatland carbon *Guide*Peatland Code evidence and credits](https://www.vireonature.com/insights/peatland-code-evidence)[Land and restoration *Guide*Feasibility, condition, carbon](https://www.vireonature.com/insights/peatland-restoration-feasibility-scoping)

Services

Evidence packs

[Site Evidence Pack£3,600 launch price, first ten sites](https://www.vireonature.com/pre-survey-pack)[Corridor Evidence Pack£9,600 launch price, ten corridors](https://www.vireonature.com/inside-a-corridor)

Surveys and data

[Drone and sensor surveysLiDAR, thermal, InSAR, GPR and more](https://www.vireonature.com/solutions/drone-and-sensor-surveys)[Data sourcesSatellite, LiDAR, water and soil](https://www.vireonature.com/data)

Free tools

[Carbon calculatorPeatland carbon in tonnes of CO2e](https://www.vireonature.com/calculators/carbon)[BNG exemption checkerSix questions, the GOV.UK tests](https://www.vireonature.com/insights/bng-exemptions)[All services and pricesPacks, assessments and field capture](https://www.vireonature.com/offers)

Explore

[Inside a siteTap real river, habitat, ground motion and peat data](https://www.vireonature.com/inside-a-site)[How it works](https://www.vireonature.com/how-it-works)[Results](https://www.vireonature.com/results)[Report](https://www.vireonature.com/report)[Insights](https://www.vireonature.com/insights)[Check my site](https://www.vireonature.com/#talk)

[Home](https://www.vireonature.com/)  /  [Insights](https://www.vireonature.com/insights)  /  [Habitats and BNG](https://www.vireonature.com/insights/bng-baseline-evidence)

Guide[Habitats and BNG](https://www.vireonature.com/insights/bng-baseline-evidence)

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

For developers, agents, planning consultants and ecologists working on planning applications in England.

Since 6 August 2026, a site of 0.2 hectares or less is exempt from biodiversity net gain unless the development affects on-site priority habitat. Here is every exemption in force, the exact test for each, and a checker for your site.

By the Vireo teamPublished 14 November 20268 minute readSources checked 14 November 2026

![BNG exemptions 2026: which developments are exempt | Vireo](https://www.vireonature.com/hs-fs/hubfs/ins_08-1.jpg?width=1200&height=630&name=ins_08-1.jpg)

On this page

Share

Key points

- From 6 August 2026, BNG does not apply to an application where the site area within the red line boundary is 0.2 hectares or below ([GOV.UK, updated 6 August 2026](https://www.gov.uk/guidance/biodiversity-net-gain-exempt-developments)).
- Temporary development is exempt where the whole development is temporary and permission is granted for 5 years or less.
- The self-build and custom build exemption no longer applies to applications made on or after 6 August 2026.
- The 0.2 hectare, de minimis and temporary exemptions fall away if the development impacts on-site priority habitat.

If your planning application in England was made on or after 6 August 2026, covers 0.2 hectares or less inside the red line, and does not reduce the biodiversity value of any priority habitat on site, the biodiversity gain condition does not apply. The changes came in through [The Biodiversity Gain (Town and Country Planning) (Amendments and Transitional Provisions) (England) Regulations 2026](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2026/790/made) (SI 2026/790).

**0.2 hectares**

Against

Site area within the red line boundary, applications made on or after 6 August 2026

Source

GOV.UK, Biodiversity net gain: exempt developments

Date

Checked 14 Nov 2026

**25 m² and 5 m**

Against

De minimis: on-site habitat and linear habitat impacted

Source

GOV.UK, Biodiversity net gain: exempt developments

Date

Checked 14 Nov 2026

**5 years**

Against

Temporary permission, whole development temporary, from 6 August 2026

Source

GOV.UK, Biodiversity net gain: exempt developments

Date

Checked 14 Nov 2026

## Which developments are exempt from BNG?

Mandatory biodiversity net gain asks most planning permissions in England to deliver a 10 per cent gain, measured with the statutory biodiversity metric ([planning practice guidance](https://www.gov.uk/guidance/biodiversity-net-gain)). The exemptions below take a development out of that condition altogether. They apply in England only.

| Exemption | The test | In force | Lost if priority habitat is impacted |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Before mandatory BNG | Major application made before 12 February 2024, or small (minor) application made before 2 April 2024 | Transitional | No |
| Householder | A householder application as defined in article 2(1) of the Town and Country Planning (Development Management Procedure) (England) Order 2015: extensions, conservatories, loft conversions | Yes | No |
| 0.2 hectares or below | Site area within the red line boundary is 0.2 hectares (2,000 m²) or below | From 6 August 2026 | Yes |
| De minimis | Impacts less than 25 m² (5 m by 5 m) of on-site habitat and less than 5 m of on-site linear habitat such as hedgerows | Yes | Yes |
| Temporary | The whole development is temporary and planning permission is granted for 5 years or less | From 6 August 2026 | Yes |
| Self-build and custom build | Only applications made before 6 August 2026, or a variation on or after that date of a permission that was exempt | Closed to new applications | Not applicable |
| Off-site gain sites | Habitat created or enhanced solely or mainly to meet another development's biodiversity gain condition | Yes | No |
| High speed rail | Development that is part of, or ancillary to, the high-speed railway transport network | Yes | No |
| Urgent crown development; development orders | Exempt under the Environment Act 2021, including permitted development rights | Yes | No |

Source for the table: [GOV.UK, Biodiversity net gain: exempt developments](https://www.gov.uk/guidance/biodiversity-net-gain-exempt-developments), last updated 6 August 2026, checked 14 November 2026.

## The priority habitat rule

Three exemptions carry a condition. The 0.2 hectare, de minimis and temporary exemptions do not apply if there is an impact on priority habitat on site, and BNG must then be met. GOV.UK defines the test plainly: a development "impacts" a habitat "if it decreases its biodiversity value".

That makes priority habitat the question that decides most small sites. Priority habitats are the habitats of principal importance listed for England, such as lowland meadows, blanket bog and wet woodland. A national inventory maps where they are known, but a small site can hold habitat the inventory does not show, so the answer for a red line comes from the site itself.

A desk read of the boundary against mapped priority habitat, peat and recent imagery shows whether the question is live before an ecologist visits. [See what a site read shows](https://www.vireonature.com/inside-a-site).

## What changed on 6 August 2026

- **New: 0.2 hectares or below.** Small sites are exempt unless priority habitat on site is impacted. Defra expects the new exemption to cover most small single dwellings ([Defra blog, 20 April 2026, and replies](https://defraenvironment.blog.gov.uk/2026/04/20/biodiversity-net-gain-whats-changing-and-what-it-means-for-you/)).
- **New: temporary permissions.** A wholly temporary development with permission for 5 years or less is exempt, with the same priority habitat condition.
- **Removed: self-build and custom build** for new applications. Applications made before 6 August 2026 keep it, and so does a later variation of a permission that was exempt.
- **Not retrospective.** Applications made before 6 August 2026 are judged under the rules in force when they were made.

## What is still coming

Defra has said it will introduce two further exemptions later in 2026: development whose primary objective is to conserve or enhance biodiversity, and development that enhances parks, playing fields and public gardens. No date has been confirmed. Defra has also consulted on a targeted exemption for brownfield residential development; that consultation closed on 10 June 2026. Nationally significant infrastructure projects came into BNG from November 2026, through a separate regime: [how the baseline works on a linear route](https://www.vireonature.com/insights/bng-nsip-linear-route-baseline).

Try it

### BNG exemption checker

Answer six questions about your application. The checker applies the tests published by GOV.UK on 6 August 2026 and tells you which exemption, if any, matches, and why.

Is the site in England?YesNo: Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland

What kind of application is it?Planning application (full or outline)Householder applicationPermitted development or development orderVariation of an existing permissionHabitat creation for another development's off-site gainPart of the high-speed rail networkNationally significant infrastructure project

When was or will it be submitted?On or after 6 August 20262 April 2024 to 5 August 202612 February 2024 to 1 April 2024Before 12 February 2024

Site area inside the red line (hectares)

Will it reduce the biodiversity value of priority habitat on site?NoYesNot sure

Anything else that applies?None of theseImpacts under 25 m² of habitat and under 5 m of hedgerow or other linear habitatWhole development temporary, permission of 5 years or lessSelf-build or custom buildIt is a minor (small) development

Tests quoted from GOV.UK, Biodiversity net gain: exempt developments, last updated 6 August 2026, and SI 2026/790. The checker reflects the published tests. The local planning authority decides whether an exemption applies, and may ask for evidence.

## Quick answers

What are the BNG exemptions in 2026?

Householder applications, sites of 0.2 hectares or below, de minimis development, temporary development of 5 years or less, off-site gain sites, high-speed rail, urgent crown development and development orders such as permitted development. Applications made before mandatory BNG are also exempt.

Is a site under 0.2 hectares exempt from BNG?

Yes, for applications made on or after 6 August 2026, where the site area within the red line boundary is 0.2 hectares or below, unless the development impacts on-site priority habitat.

Is the 0.2 hectare exemption retrospective?

No. It applies to planning applications made on or after 6 August 2026. Applications made before that date are judged under the rules in force when they were made.

Do all schemes need BNG?

No. Mandatory BNG applies to most planning permissions in England, but exempt developments are taken out of the biodiversity gain condition altogether. It does not apply in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland.

Are self-built houses exempt from BNG?

Not for new applications. The self-build and custom build exemption no longer applies to applications made on or after 6 August 2026. Most small single dwellings now fall under the 0.2 hectare exemption instead.

What is the BNG de minimis exemption?

Development that impacts less than 25 square metres of on-site habitat and less than 5 metres of on-site linear habitat, such as hedgerows, is exempt, unless it impacts priority habitat.

Is BNG required for permitted development?

No. Development granted permission by a development order, including permitted development rights, is exempt under the Environment Act 2021.

Do householder applications need BNG?

No. Householder applications, such as extensions, conservatories and loft conversions, are exempt.

Are temporary developments exempt from BNG?

Yes, from 6 August 2026, where the whole development is temporary and planning permission is granted for 5 years or less, unless it impacts on-site priority habitat.

Does priority habitat cancel a BNG exemption?

It cancels three of them. If a development impacts priority habitat on site, the 0.2 hectare, de minimis and temporary exemptions do not apply and BNG must be met. A development impacts a habitat if it decreases its biodiversity value.

Does BNG apply to nationally significant infrastructure projects?

Yes. Nationally significant infrastructure projects came into BNG from November 2026, through their own requirement rather than the planning biodiversity gain condition.

Who decides whether an exemption applies?

The local planning authority. It may ask for evidence, for example to show that habitat impacts fall below the de minimis thresholds.

## If BNG applies

### Fix the red line and the baseline date

The baseline is the habitat on the day the application is made. Set the boundary first, because every exemption and every unit is measured inside it.

### Read the site before the survey

A desk read of habitat, priority habitat, peat and water shows where the units sit and where the ecologist should spend field time.

### Run the statutory metric

The ecologist surveys, records condition and runs the statutory biodiversity metric to set the 10 per cent target. [What the baseline must get right](https://www.vireonature.com/insights/bng-baseline-evidence).

## Sources

1. [GOV.UK: Biodiversity net gain: exempt developments, Defra, last updated 6 August 2026 (checked 14 November 2026)](https://www.gov.uk/guidance/biodiversity-net-gain-exempt-developments)
2. [The Biodiversity Gain (Town and Country Planning) (Amendments and Transitional Provisions) (England) Regulations 2026, SI 2026/790 (checked 14 November 2026)](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2026/790/made)
3. [GOV.UK: Biodiversity net gain, planning practice guidance (checked 14 November 2026)](https://www.gov.uk/guidance/biodiversity-net-gain)
4. [Defra Environment blog: Biodiversity Net Gain: what is changing and what it means for you, 20 April 2026, with replies of 14 July, 13 August and 24 September 2026 (checked 14 November 2026)](https://defraenvironment.blog.gov.uk/2026/04/20/biodiversity-net-gain-whats-changing-and-what-it-means-for-you/)

## Ask the team

### Ask the team about BNG exemptions

Send your question and the team replies personally within two working days. No sales sequence.

Your question

First name

Work email

Send my question

We use your details to reply to you. [Privacy notice](https://www.vireonature.com/privacy)

![](https://www.vireonature.com/hs-fs/hubfs/favicon-32.png?width=52&height=52&name=favicon-32.png)

**Written by the Vireo team**Vireo Nature reads land before anyone surveys it. Every figure in our work carries its range, its source and its test.

*Working on something like this?***Send us your site**

Three details. The team checks coverage and fit, and replies within two working days.

[Send us your site](https://www.vireonature.com/inside-a-site)

*Live example***Inside a site**

Tap real peat, river, habitat and ground motion data, read by the Vireo Neural Map.

[Explore the live map](https://www.vireonature.com/inside-a-site)

*Working on something like this?***Send us your site**

Three details. The team checks coverage and fit, and replies within two working days.

[Send us your site](https://www.vireonature.com/inside-a-site)

*Live example***Inside a site**

Tap real peat, river, habitat and ground motion data, read by the Vireo Neural Map.

[Explore the live map](https://www.vireonature.com/inside-a-site)

## Keep reading

### [![Biodiversity net gain baselines: what has to be right before the metric is run](https://www.vireonature.com/hs-fs/hubfs/ins_bng.jpg?width=1200&height=630&name=ins_bng.jpg) 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. Read →](https://www.vireonature.com/insights/bng-baseline-evidence)

### [![Peat management plan: what it must contain and what a reviewer checks](https://www.vireonature.com/hs-fs/hubfs/ins_01.jpg?width=1200&height=630&name=ins_01.jpg) 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. Read →](https://www.vireonature.com/insights/peat-management-plan-contents)

### [![Relying on third-party data in an environmental report: ten questions to ask first](https://www.vireonature.com/hs-fs/hubfs/ins_04.jpg?width=1200&height=630&name=ins_04.jpg) 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. Read →](https://www.vireonature.com/insights/third-party-data-ten-questions)

## See what is under your site before you survey it.

Send a site or a route and the decision you face. Three details, and a reply from the team within two working days.

[Send us your site](https://www.vireonature.com/#talk)[Explore the live map](https://www.vireonature.com/inside-a-site)

## Related guides and services

- [Biodiversity net gain baseline evidence →](https://www.vireonature.com/insights/bng-baseline-evidence)
- [BNG baseline on a linear route →](https://www.vireonature.com/insights/bng-nsip-linear-route-baseline)
- [Plan a peat depth survey: Site Evidence Pack, £3,600 →](https://www.vireonature.com/pre-survey-pack)

![Vireo Nature](https://www.vireonature.com/hs-fs/hubfs/logo_rev_1.png?width=96&height=46&name=logo_rev_1.png)

© 2026 Vireo Nature · [Privacy notice](https://www.vireonature.com/privacy)

[How it works](https://www.vireonature.com/how-it-works)[Results](https://www.vireonature.com/results)[Data sources](https://www.vireonature.com/data)[Offers and pricing](https://www.vireonature.com/offers)[Report](https://www.vireonature.com/report)[Insights](https://www.vireonature.com/insights)[Site Evidence Pack](https://www.vireonature.com/pre-survey-pack)[Corridor Evidence Pack](https://www.vireonature.com/inside-a-corridor)

[LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/company/146700865)[Bluesky](https://bsky.app/profile/vireonature.com)

Occasional updates on the Neural Map and new sealed results.

Work email

Sign up

 I agree to receive occasional updates from Vireo Nature and to Vireo Nature storing my email for this. Unsubscribe any time.

Figures as at October 2026. They describe what exists today, not forecasts. Data: Copernicus Sentinel-2 and Copernicus DEM (modified), NASA MODIS MCD64A1, Tellus survey.

[Send us your site](https://www.vireonature.com/#talk)

```json
{
  "@context" : "https://schema.org",
  "@id" : "https://www.vireonature.com/#org",
  "@type" : "Organization",
  "description" : "Checkable evidence under decisions about nature: land, water, habitat, carbon and biodiversity, with a range on every figure.",
  "email" : "sales@vireonature.com",
  "logo" : "https://149697625.fs1.hubspotusercontent-eu1.net/hubfs/149697625/logo_rev_1.png",
  "name" : "Vireo Nature",
  "sameAs" : [ "https://www.linkedin.com/company/146700865", "https://bsky.app/profile/vireonature.com" ],
  "url" : "https://www.vireonature.com"
}
```

```json
{
  "@context" : "https://schema.org",
  "@type" : "Service",
  "areaServed" : [ "United Kingdom", "Ireland" ],
  "description" : "A desk screen (peat depth with its range, ground motion, surface change and water held on a 50 m grid) and a walkable probe plan aimed where the ranges are widest.",
  "name" : "Site Evidence Pack",
  "provider" : {
    "@id" : "https://www.vireonature.com/#org"
  },
  "serviceType" : "Peat depth screen and probe plan",
  "url" : "https://www.vireonature.com/offers"
}
```

```json
{
  "@context" : "https://schema.org",
  "@type" : "Service",
  "areaServed" : [ "United Kingdom", "Ireland" ],
  "description" : "A calibrated depth, volume and carbon read from your own probes, with a range and an evidence tier on every number.",
  "name" : "Site Assessment",
  "provider" : {
    "@id" : "https://www.vireonature.com/#org"
  },
  "serviceType" : "Calibrated peat depth, volume and carbon read",
  "url" : "https://www.vireonature.com/offers"
}
```

```json
{
  "@context" : "https://schema.org",
  "@type" : "Service",
  "areaServed" : [ "United Kingdom", "Ireland" ],
  "description" : "A screen and probe plan for a site or route, so the peat survey for your environmental statement goes where it matters.",
  "name" : "Peat depth screening for wind, solar and grid routes",
  "provider" : {
    "@id" : "https://www.vireonature.com/#org"
  },
  "serviceType" : "Peat screen for wind and infrastructure routes",
  "url" : "https://www.vireonature.com/offers"
}
```

```json
{
  "@context" : "https://schema.org",
  "@type" : "Service",
  "description" : "Screens and calibrated reads under your own client work, and bespoke projects designed with your team.",
  "name" : "Evidence behind your advice",
  "provider" : {
    "@id" : "https://www.vireonature.com/#org"
  },
  "serviceType" : "Evidence for consultancies",
  "url" : "https://www.vireonature.com/offers"
}
```

```json
{
  "@context" : "https://schema.org",
  "@type" : "Service",
  "description" : "A sealed test of a figure someone else produced: the prediction is locked before the values are released, then scored once.",
  "name" : "Independent re-test",
  "provider" : {
    "@id" : "https://www.vireonature.com/#org"
  },
  "serviceType" : "Independent verification of environmental figures",
  "url" : "https://www.vireonature.com/offers"
}
```

```json
{
  "@context" : "https://schema.org",
  "@type" : "Service",
  "description" : "Condition, surface change and bog breathing across a restored site, read against its baseline.",
  "name" : "Restoration outcome evidence",
  "provider" : {
    "@id" : "https://www.vireonature.com/#org"
  },
  "serviceType" : "Peatland restoration monitoring",
  "url" : "https://www.vireonature.com/offers"
}
```

```json
{
  "@context" : "https://schema.org",
  "@type" : "Article",
  "author" : {
    "@type" : "Organization",
    "name" : "Vireo Nature",
    "url" : "https://www.vireonature.com/"
  },
  "dateModified" : "2026-11-14",
  "datePublished" : "2026-11-14",
  "description" : "Every biodiversity net gain exemption in force in England, the test for each, the 6 August 2026 changes and a checker.",
  "headline" : "BNG exemptions in 2026: which developments are exempt, and the test for each",
  "image" : "https://149697625.fs1.hubspotusercontent-eu1.net/hubfs/149697625/ins_08-1.jpg",
  "inLanguage" : "en-GB",
  "mainEntityOfPage" : "https://www.vireonature.com/insights/bng-exemptions",
  "publisher" : {
    "@type" : "Organization",
    "name" : "Vireo Nature",
    "url" : "https://www.vireonature.com/"
  }
}
```

```json
{
  "@context" : "https://schema.org",
  "@type" : "FAQPage",
  "mainEntity" : [ {
    "@type" : "Question",
    "acceptedAnswer" : {
      "@type" : "Answer",
      "text" : "Householder applications, sites of 0.2 hectares or below, de minimis development, temporary development of 5 years or less, off-site gain sites, high-speed rail, urgent crown development and development orders such as permitted development. Applications made before mandatory BNG are also exempt."
    },
    "name" : "What are the BNG exemptions in 2026?"
  }, {
    "@type" : "Question",
    "acceptedAnswer" : {
      "@type" : "Answer",
      "text" : "Yes, for applications made on or after 6 August 2026, where the site area within the red line boundary is 0.2 hectares or below, unless the development impacts on-site priority habitat."
    },
    "name" : "Is a site under 0.2 hectares exempt from BNG?"
  }, {
    "@type" : "Question",
    "acceptedAnswer" : {
      "@type" : "Answer",
      "text" : "No. It applies to planning applications made on or after 6 August 2026. Applications made before that date are judged under the rules in force when they were made."
    },
    "name" : "Is the 0.2 hectare exemption retrospective?"
  }, {
    "@type" : "Question",
    "acceptedAnswer" : {
      "@type" : "Answer",
      "text" : "No. Mandatory BNG applies to most planning permissions in England, but exempt developments are taken out of the biodiversity gain condition altogether. It does not apply in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland."
    },
    "name" : "Do all schemes need BNG?"
  }, {
    "@type" : "Question",
    "acceptedAnswer" : {
      "@type" : "Answer",
      "text" : "Not for new applications. The self-build and custom build exemption no longer applies to applications made on or after 6 August 2026. Most small single dwellings now fall under the 0.2 hectare exemption instead."
    },
    "name" : "Are self-built houses exempt from BNG?"
  }, {
    "@type" : "Question",
    "acceptedAnswer" : {
      "@type" : "Answer",
      "text" : "Development that impacts less than 25 square metres of on-site habitat and less than 5 metres of on-site linear habitat, such as hedgerows, is exempt, unless it impacts priority habitat."
    },
    "name" : "What is the BNG de minimis exemption?"
  }, {
    "@type" : "Question",
    "acceptedAnswer" : {
      "@type" : "Answer",
      "text" : "No. Development granted permission by a development order, including permitted development rights, is exempt under the Environment Act 2021."
    },
    "name" : "Is BNG required for permitted development?"
  }, {
    "@type" : "Question",
    "acceptedAnswer" : {
      "@type" : "Answer",
      "text" : "No. Householder applications, such as extensions, conservatories and loft conversions, are exempt."
    },
    "name" : "Do householder applications need BNG?"
  }, {
    "@type" : "Question",
    "acceptedAnswer" : {
      "@type" : "Answer",
      "text" : "Yes, from 6 August 2026, where the whole development is temporary and planning permission is granted for 5 years or less, unless it impacts on-site priority habitat."
    },
    "name" : "Are temporary developments exempt from BNG?"
  }, {
    "@type" : "Question",
    "acceptedAnswer" : {
      "@type" : "Answer",
      "text" : "It cancels three of them. If a development impacts priority habitat on site, the 0.2 hectare, de minimis and temporary exemptions do not apply and BNG must be met. A development impacts a habitat if it decreases its biodiversity value."
    },
    "name" : "Does priority habitat cancel a BNG exemption?"
  }, {
    "@type" : "Question",
    "acceptedAnswer" : {
      "@type" : "Answer",
      "text" : "Yes. Nationally significant infrastructure projects came into BNG from November 2026, through their own requirement rather than the planning biodiversity gain condition."
    },
    "name" : "Does BNG apply to nationally significant infrastructure projects?"
  }, {
    "@type" : "Question",
    "acceptedAnswer" : {
      "@type" : "Answer",
      "text" : "The local planning authority. It may ask for evidence, for example to show that habitat impacts fall below the de minimis thresholds."
    },
    "name" : "Who decides whether an exemption applies?"
  } ]
}
```

```json
{
  "@context" : "https://schema.org",
  "@type" : "BreadcrumbList",
  "itemListElement" : [ {
    "@type" : "ListItem",
    "item" : "https://www.vireonature.com/",
    "name" : "Home",
    "position" : 1
  }, {
    "@type" : "ListItem",
    "item" : "https://www.vireonature.com/insights",
    "name" : "Insights",
    "position" : 2
  }, {
    "@type" : "ListItem",
    "item" : "https://www.vireonature.com/insights/bng-exemptions",
    "name" : "BNG exemptions",
    "position" : 3
  } ]
}
```