Green Shoots for Farm Development and Rural Planning
June 2026
By Ryan Doble, MRICS FAAV, Rural Surveyor
For us here at GTH, an important consideration when advising clients on the erection of new agricultural buildings is whether Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) will be required under a full planning application.
Although there is undoubtedly an environmental benefit to the habitats chosen to deliver BNG (either on or off-site), there has been a lot of frustration amongst farmers and landowner’s when it comes to securing consent and delivering the net gain required.
Since the Labour Government came into power in July 2024, many people have kept a keen eye on their pledge to ‘make planning easier’.
To date, I am not sure if there would be many who would agree that this has been achieved so far; but are things about to change?
In a recent publication from DEFRA on 20th April 2026, there are green shoots that small sites may get the simplification needed when it comes to BNG, as a new small site exemption for sites less than 0.2 hectares is set to be introduced.
The change is expected to be implemented by the end of July 2026, aiding applicants with preferred site selection or preservation of their permitted development rights.
The change will likely be a relief for many as their preferred site selection for Agricultural buildings on baseline habitats have recently been blighted by exceeding the ‘de minimis’ threshold for BNG exemption.
Triggering BNG requirements has seen many applications subject to costly ecologist reports, significant planning delays and payment of legal fees in relation to ensuring delivery of BNG mitigation. The proposed changes provide some hope that the planning process can be streamlined further.
If you are thinking of applying for planning for an agricultural building, are looking for bespoke advice in relation to your individual situation, or for more information on our broad range of rural and professional services please contact your local specialist rural agent or Ryan Doble on 01460 238382 or [email protected].
Although there is undoubtedly an environmental benefit to the habitats chosen to deliver BNG (either on or off-site), there has been a lot of frustration amongst farmers and landowner’s when it comes to securing consent and delivering the net gain required.
Since the Labour Government came into power in July 2024, many people have kept a keen eye on their pledge to ‘make planning easier’.
To date, I am not sure if there would be many who would agree that this has been achieved so far; but are things about to change?
In a recent publication from DEFRA on 20th April 2026, there are green shoots that small sites may get the simplification needed when it comes to BNG, as a new small site exemption for sites less than 0.2 hectares is set to be introduced.
The change is expected to be implemented by the end of July 2026, aiding applicants with preferred site selection or preservation of their permitted development rights.
The change will likely be a relief for many as their preferred site selection for Agricultural buildings on baseline habitats have recently been blighted by exceeding the ‘de minimis’ threshold for BNG exemption.
Triggering BNG requirements has seen many applications subject to costly ecologist reports, significant planning delays and payment of legal fees in relation to ensuring delivery of BNG mitigation. The proposed changes provide some hope that the planning process can be streamlined further.
If you are thinking of applying for planning for an agricultural building, are looking for bespoke advice in relation to your individual situation, or for more information on our broad range of rural and professional services please contact your local specialist rural agent or Ryan Doble on 01460 238382 or [email protected].