Guidance

Buy statutory biodiversity credits

Find out how to buy statutory biodiversity credits.

From:
Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs and Natural England
Published
12 February 2024
Last updated
21 May 2024 — See all updates

Applies to England

Buying statutory biodiversity credits is a last resort option for developers if you are unable to use on-site or off-site units to deliver biodiversity net gain (BNG). 

You cannot use an agent or representative to act on your behalf to buy statutory biodiversity credits. 

How to buy statutory biodiversity credits

  1. You will need to buy statutory biodiversity credits.

  2. We will process your application. A third-party supplier will use your information for customer due diligence checks. These are to check you are who you say you are and to carry out anti-money laundering checks. Our privacy notice tells you how we will be sharing your information.

    We aim to contact you within 4 weeks of receiving your order to tell you if you’ve passed the initial checks. If more checks are needed, we will let you know. This could take up to 8 weeks in total. 

  3. If you pass the checks, you will receive a proforma invoice with instructions on how to pay for your credits.

    If you do not pass the checks, you will not be able to continue with your application. 

  4. After you pay for your credits, you will receive a proof of purchase. You can send this to your local planning authority (LPA) as part of meeting your BNG requirements. 

Cancellation of orders and refunds 

You can cancel your order any time before paying for your credits.  

Find more information about refunds in our terms and conditions. 

Contact us if you need help 

Telephone: 0300 060 3900

Opening times:

  • March to September - Monday to Friday, 10am to 4pm
  • October to February - Monday to Friday, 10am to 3pm

Closed on public holidays.

Find out about call charges.

Email: [email protected]

We aim to reply within 10 working days.

Give feedback on this guidance by completing a short survey.

Updates to this page

Published 12 February 2024
Last updated 21 May 2024 + show all updates

  1. Added a link to the buy statutory biodiversity credits service.

  2. Opening times to helpline has changed to Monday to Friday, 10am to 3pm during October and February.

  3. First published.

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