Orchard House, High Wycombe
We were brought in to assist from the appeal stage and trusted to overcome the Reason for Refusal in relation to Biodiversity Net gain.
We undertook a Biodiversity Net Gain Defra 3.0 Small Sites Metric assessment. Through undertaking option analysis, we quickly determined that the application was unable to meet the council’s Biodiversity Net Gain requirements within the Site, without substantial and unworkable changes to the Proposed Development.
We put forward a number of practical solutions and advised the client in detail on the constraints and opportunities of each. The client opted for an offsite financial contribution to the council. Over a number of meetings, we undertook detailed negotiations with the Local Planning Authority Ecologist and were able to reach an agreement on the approach and financial contribution prior to the hearing.
During the hearing, we outlined our approach and provided further details to the Planning Inspector in terms of Green Infrastructure and tree canopy cover. Ultimately, the Planning Inspector agreed with our assessment and the Biodiversity Net Gain Reason for Refusal was overcome.