Planning a development in Lancashire? ProHort provides Biodiversity Net Gain assessments, habitat surveys, statutory metric calculations and Biodiversity Gain Plan support for developers, architects, planning consultants and landowners. We help establish your site's biodiversity value and identify the ecological information needed to support your development and planning requirements. From the coastal habitats of Morecambe Bay and the Ribble Estuary to the uplands of the Forest of Bowland, Lancashire's landscapes create varied considerations for biodiversity assessment and habitat enhancement.
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Lancashire’s Local Nature Recovery Strategy (LNRS), published in January 2026, provides a regional framework for identifying priorities and opportunities for nature recovery. It covers Lancashire, Blackpool and Blackburn with Darwen.
The strategy identifies a range of important habitat types, including:
Aquatic and wetland habitats.
Coastal and estuarine environments.
Grasslands and agricultural landscapes.
Lowland and upland peatlands.
Rocky habitats.
Woodland and trees.
Urban habitats and infrastructure networks.
Its Local Habitat Map identifies existing areas of particular importance for biodiversity, alongside locations where habitat creation, restoration or improved connectivity could provide wider benefits.
For development projects, this information can provide useful context when considering where habitat retention and enhancement may support wider nature recovery priorities.
However, the LNRS is not a substitute for a site-specific BNG assessment and does not automatically impose statutory biodiversity gain requirements on individual developments. The relevant habitats, applicable biodiversity metric and planning circumstances must still be assessed for each project.Â
We support developments across Lancashire, including Preston, Blackburn, Chorley, Lancaster and neighbouring rural areas.
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A Biodiversity Net Gain assessment establishes the biodiversity value of a site before development and calculates how the proposed works are expected to affect its existing habitats.
For developments within the statutory BNG framework, this assessment provides the baseline evidence needed to understand habitat losses and identify how the required biodiversity gain could be achieved.
ProHort provides BNG assessment support in Lancashire, helping development teams understand their site’s ecological characteristics and the information needed to inform planning proposals.
Our biodiversity net gain assessment services can include:
Habitat surveys and mapping: Identifying and mapping the habitats present within the relevant site boundary using an appropriate habitat classification method.
Habitat condition assessments: Evaluating habitat quality against the relevant condition criteria.
Statutory biodiversity metric calculations: Calculating the biodiversity value of existing habitats and modelling proposed losses, retention, creation and enhancement.
Biodiversity Net Gain reporting: Presenting baseline findings, metric results and relevant recommendations in a clear report.
Habitat enhancement advice: Identifying opportunities to retain valuable features, improve existing habitats and create new habitats as part of the development.
A reliable BNG assessment for development in Lancashire needs to reflect the habitats actually present. For example, a site containing wet grassland, hedgerows, peatland or established woodland may have different biodiversity considerations from a previously developed site or an intensively managed agricultural field.
Identifying these features early can help developers make informed decisions about site layout, habitat retention and the most appropriate approach to achieving biodiversity gain.
Whether you are assessing a potential development site or progressing a planning application, our team can help you understand the ecological information needed for your project.Â
A Biodiversity Gain Plan is a separate statutory planning document from the initial BNG assessment. Where the statutory biodiversity gain condition applies, the plan must be approved by the relevant Local Planning Authority before development begins.
The BNG assessment establishes the site’s habitat baseline and calculates its biodiversity value. The Biodiversity Gain Plan then explains how the development will meet its biodiversity gain objective and how the proposed improvements will be delivered and secured.
ProHort provides Biodiversity Gain Plan services in Lancashire, helping developers and project teams bring together the ecological and planning information needed for submission.
Depending on the development, this can include:
Pre-development biodiversity value: Setting out the relevant habitat baseline and metric calculation.
Habitat retention and enhancement: Explaining which existing habitats will be retained, enhanced or affected by the proposals.
Habitat creation proposals: Detailing the new habitats proposed and their expected biodiversity contribution.
Off-site biodiversity gains: Including details of eligible registered off-site gains where these are being used to address a biodiversity unit shortfall.
Habitat management arrangements: Incorporating relevant management and monitoring information where required.
Biodiversity Gain Plan documentation: Bringing the relevant information together for submission to the planning authority.
The information required will depend on the development, its planning permission and the proposed approach to delivering biodiversity improvements.Â
Planning permission does not necessarily mean that work can begin immediately. Where the statutory biodiversity gain condition applies, a Biodiversity Gain Plan must be submitted and approved before development starts.
This is an important stage of Lancashire BNG condition discharge. The relevant planning authority needs to be able to assess how the proposed development will meet its biodiversity gain objective, including the accuracy of the supporting metric information and arrangements for securing the proposed gains.
Preparing a planning-compliant Biodiversity Gain Plan in Lancashire means ensuring that the information is consistent with the approved development plans and clearly explains how the biodiversity improvements will be delivered.
ProHort can support developers and planning consultants with their biodiversity gain plan submission, helping coordinate the relevant ecological information and supporting documentation.
Lancashire has a varied natural environment, extending from upland landscapes and peatlands to coastal habitats, agricultural land and urban areas. These differences can influence the habitat baseline of a development and the opportunities available for biodiversity enhancement.
Morecambe Bay is an extensive coastal environment containing intertidal mudflats, sandflats, saltmarsh and other estuarine habitats. These areas support important wildlife and form part of Lancashire’s wider coastal ecological network.
Development in coastal locations may need to consider the habitats present, their condition and their relationship with surrounding wetland and estuarine environments.
The Ribble Estuary and its surrounding landscape contain important intertidal habitats, saltmarsh, mudflats and wetland environments. Further inland, the River Ribble and its tributaries are associated with river corridors, floodplain grassland and other water-dependent habitats.
The River Wyre and its surrounding landscape also provide important ecological features. Where these habitats occur within or around a development site, they may influence the assessment and opportunities for habitat enhancement.
The Forest of Bowland is known for its upland moorland, blanket bog, grassland, woodland and river valleys. Peatland habitats are particularly important because of their biodiversity, carbon storage and wider environmental benefits.
Developments near upland and moorland landscapes may need to consider the presence and condition of peatland, heathland and other habitats when establishing their biodiversity baseline.
Much of Lancashire includes agricultural landscapes, with field boundaries, hedgerows, ditches, grassland and scattered trees contributing to the wider ecological environment.
Hedgerows can provide important habitat and connectivity between larger areas of woodland, grassland and other natural features. Their condition and relationship with surrounding habitats should be considered when assessing development proposals.
Lancashire’s towns include former mill sites, industrial land, commercial areas and residential redevelopment locations. These sites can still support biodiversity through scrub, grassland, trees, ponds and other established vegetation.
A previously developed site should not automatically be assumed to have low biodiversity value. A site-specific assessment is needed to identify the habitats present and calculate their contribution to the biodiversity baseline.
Whether you need a Biodiversity Net Gain assessment, habitat baseline survey, biodiversity metric assessment or support with a planning-compliant Biodiversity Gain Plan, ProHort can help you understand the ecological requirements of your development.
If you are looking for a BNG assessment or Biodiversity Gain Plan consultant in Lancashire, contact our team to discuss your site and the next steps for your project. Â
Lancashire’s Local Nature Recovery Strategy identifies local priorities and opportunities for nature recovery, including coastal habitats, peatlands, grasslands, wetlands and woodland.
Its Local Habitat Map can help identify areas where habitat creation or enhancement may contribute to wider ecological networks. This can provide useful context when considering biodiversity opportunities for a development.
However, the strategy does not replace the statutory biodiversity metric or a site-specific habitat assessment. The biodiversity value of a development site must still be established using the relevant ecological evidence and applicable planning requirements.Â
Developments near Morecambe Bay or the Ribble Estuary may need to consider coastal and estuarine habitats, including saltmarsh, mudflats, sandflats and associated wetland environments.
Depending on the location and nature of the proposals, separate ecological considerations may also arise from nearby designated sites and protected species.
These considerations are not all measured through the BNG metric. A biodiversity assessment should establish the habitats within the relevant site, while any additional ecological or planning requirements should be considered separately where applicable.
Peatland and moorland habitats can have distinctive biodiversity characteristics and may require careful habitat identification and condition assessment.
In areas around the Forest of Bowland, for example, upland habitats may include blanket bog, heathland, grassland and woodland. Their condition and extent can influence the site’s biodiversity baseline and the opportunities available for enhancement.
Peatland is particularly important to consider accurately because it can provide benefits for biodiversity, carbon storage and water management.
Hedgerows and other field boundary features can provide habitat and connectivity across agricultural landscapes.
Their length, type, condition and relationship with surrounding habitats can influence the biodiversity metric calculation. Where a development affects field boundaries, the assessment should identify which features will be retained, enhanced or lost and how any required biodiversity gain will be achieved.
Previously developed land is not automatically exempt from Biodiversity Net Gain requirements. Industrial and regeneration sites may still support habitats such as grassland, scrub, trees, ponds and other established vegetation.
The relevant statutory exemptions and planning circumstances should be checked, and where BNG applies, a site-specific assessment is needed to establish the existing habitat baseline and calculate biodiversity value.
This is particularly relevant to redevelopment proposals in former mill and industrial areas across Blackburn, Burnley and other Lancashire towns.
Yes. Where the biodiversity gain hierarchy and applicable statutory rules allow, eligible registered off-site biodiversity gains can contribute towards a development’s biodiversity gain objective.
The suitability of off-site units depends on factors such as their registration, habitat type, location and the relevant spatial risk requirements. These options should be considered alongside opportunities to retain, enhance and create habitats within the development.
Statutory biodiversity credits are a separate mechanism and should only be considered where the applicable requirements for their use are met.
