National listings · England · Not a marketplace
BNG directory
The BNG directory on Biodiversity Net Gain Hub lists habitat banks, biodiversity unit brokers, consultant ecologists and planning or legal advisers serving developers and landowners across England. Listings are national rather than city-by-city, are added with each firm's consent, and will include labelled premium listings processed through Stripe after launch. Biodiversity Net Gain Hub publishes listings and passes on enquiries only; it does not sell or broker biodiversity units or statutory credits.
Who to instruct, and when
| Stage | Provider | Deliverable |
|---|---|---|
| Site selection / feasibility | Consultant ecologist (desk study), planning adviser | Constraints note, exemption check, indicative baseline |
| Pre-application | Consultant ecologist | Baseline survey, condition assessment, statutory metric |
| Design | Ecologist with landscape architect | On-site habitat strategy, iterated metric versions |
| Shortfall | Habitat bank or broker | Registered off-site units, allocation on the register |
| Legal | Solicitor / planning consultant | Section 106 or conservation covenant, 30-year terms |
| Post-permission | Ecologist | Biodiversity gain plan, habitat management and monitoring plan |
| Delivery | Ecologist, land manager | 30-year monitoring and reporting |
Directory categories
Habitat banks
Landowners and operators with registered biodiversity gain sites selling off-site units under 30-year agreements.
What to ask: Registration number on the gain sites register, habitat types and distinctiveness available, local planning authority and National Character Area, unit price and legal-agreement terms.
Listings open at launch. Premium listing — Stripe, coming later.
Unit brokers and marketplaces
Intermediaries matching developers with registered off-site units across England.
What to ask: Whether they act as agent or principal, fee structure, how allocations are recorded on the register, and evidence of the gain hierarchy having been followed.
Listings open at launch. Premium listing — Stripe, coming later.
Consultant ecologists
CIEEM-member practices carrying out baseline surveys, condition assessments, statutory metric calculations and habitat management plans.
What to ask: Competence with the statutory biodiversity metric, survey-season availability, experience with your local planning authority, and monitoring capacity for 30-year plans.
Listings open at launch. Premium listing — Stripe, coming later.
Planning and legal advisers
Planning consultants and solicitors handling section 106 obligations, conservation covenants and biodiversity gain plan submissions.
What to ask: Experience drafting 30-year BNG agreements, familiarity with responsible bodies, and exemption evidence for validation.
Listings open at launch. Premium listing — Stripe, coming later.
Coverage is England-wide. There are deliberately no city or county pages: a national listing with clear coverage details serves users better than duplicated location pages, and it keeps this hub within Google's spam policies on doorway and scaled content.
Ask listed providers
Tell us what you need and where. We will review your enquiry and reply from the brand mailbox. We do not sell units or take commission.
List your firm
Habitat banks, brokers, ecologists and advisers can request a listing. We will review requests and reply from the brand mailbox. Standard listings are free; any premium placement will be clearly labelled and processed through Stripe. Paid placement never changes the educational content on this hub.
Frequently asked questions
Does Biodiversity Net Gain Hub sell or broker biodiversity units?
No. Biodiversity Net Gain Hub is an independent educational hub. It does not own gain sites, hold or sell biodiversity units or statutory credits, act as agent or principal in any transaction, or earn commission on unit sales. The directory is a set of third-party listings; you contract directly with the provider.
How do I find registered biodiversity gain sites?
The official source is the biodiversity gain sites register on GOV.UK, which lists every registered site in England with its habitat types and available units. Habitat banks and brokers in this directory should be able to quote register entries for the units they offer.
How are directory listings chosen?
Listings are national, not organised by city, and are added with each firm's consent after the hub launches. Premium (paid) listings will be labelled as such and processed through Stripe; payment does not affect the educational content on this hub. We do not publish reviews or ratings we cannot verify.
Sources
Official guidance this page relies on, with the "last updated" date shown on each source when this page was written. Always check the live GOV.UK page before acting.
- Search the biodiversity gain sites register — GOV.UK (updated 2 June 2026)
- Understanding biodiversity net gain — GOV.UK (Defra) (updated 14 July 2026)
- CIEEM — finding a suitable ecological consultant (updated 2026)