24th Sep 2026
Celnor Group member company Arbtech has been featured in Property Week, sharing expert insight into Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) and how developers can take a more proactive approach to ecology during the planning process.
In the article, ‘Biodiversity is still a thorny issue for developers’, Nicole Gullan, Associate Director at Arbtech, discusses how biodiversity requirements can be viewed as an opportunity rather than simply another constraint on development.
“Too many developers still see ecology as something that constrains site capacity or delays planning,” Nicole explains.
One of the challenges is that biodiversity considerations are often assessed once site layouts are already largely fixed. At this stage, ecological requirements can lead to redesign costs, delays, and additional pressure on project viability. Bringing ecological expertise and BNG assessments into the process earlier can help developers better understand constraints and identify opportunities from the outset.
Biodiversity net gain can also play an important role in unlocking development on grey belt land, helping schemes demonstrate the environmental improvements required to support the Government’s ‘Golden Rules’ for major development in the Green Belt.
Nicole also highlights the role that public and open space can play in bringing together ecology, drainage, landscape, and transport planning, creating multifunctional green infrastructure rather than land used solely for amenity purposes.
She adds: “Developers are frequently surprised to discover previously developed or disused sites do not necessarily carry the high baseline habitat values they assumed. Open mosaic habitat can create challenges, but it is the exception rather than the rule on many grey-belt or brownfield sites.
“Undertaking preliminary ecological appraisal and baseline BNG assessment work early allows project teams to understand where genuine constraints exist, where opportunities for uplift can be achieved and how land can be used more efficiently across the wider masterplan.”
As the UK’s leading ecological and arboricultural consultancy, Arbtech supports developers, architects, planning consultants and property professionals with ecological surveys, biodiversity net gain assessments and wider environmental advice.
Arbtech is part of Celnor Group’s Built Environment Division, bringing specialist ecological and arboricultural expertise to a wider range of services supporting development projects across the UK.
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