Biodiversity unit cost: the published figures
The only per-unit prices published for England are Defra’s statutory biodiversity credits, sold by Natural England as a last resort. Each tier is priced per credit, and a spatial risk multiplier means you buy 2 credits for every biodiversity unit. At the cheapest tier, A1 (£42,000 per credit), one unit therefore costs £84,000. The tier follows the specific habitat type, not just its distinctiveness band.[S3]
- Tier A1£42,000 / credit
- All low distinctiveness; medium heathland and shrub, grassland, individual trees, urban and cropland; high reedbeds and traditional orchards
- Per unit (2 credits): £84,000
- Tier A2£48,000 / credit
- Medium woodland and intertidal sediment; high calcareous grassland, tall herb communities, lowland and upland heathland, sea-buckthorn dunes, open mosaic on previously developed land
- Per unit (2 credits): £96,000
- Tier A3£66,000 / credit
- High wet woodland, felled woodland, upland birchwoods, littoral sediments and biogenic reefs
- Per unit (2 credits): £132,000
- Tier A4£125,000 / credit
- Medium reservoirs, non-priority ponds and inland rock; high priority ponds, wetland mosaic, coastal and rocky-shore habitats, five native woodland types
- Per unit (2 credits): £250,000
- Tier A5£650,000 / credit
- High distinctiveness lakes (high, moderate and low alkalinity, marl and peat lakes)
- Per unit (2 credits): £1,300,000
- Hedgerow£44,000 / credit
- All hedgerow units
- Per unit (2 credits): £88,000
- Watercourses£230,000 / credit
- All watercourse units
- Per unit (2 credits): £460,000
| Tier | Applies to | £ / credit | Per unit (2 credits) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tier A1 | All low distinctiveness; medium heathland and shrub, grassland, individual trees, urban and cropland; high reedbeds and traditional orchards | £42,000 | £84,000 |
| Tier A2 | Medium woodland and intertidal sediment; high calcareous grassland, tall herb communities, lowland and upland heathland, sea-buckthorn dunes, open mosaic on previously developed land | £48,000 | £96,000 |
| Tier A3 | High wet woodland, felled woodland, upland birchwoods, littoral sediments and biogenic reefs | £66,000 | £132,000 |
| Tier A4 | Medium reservoirs, non-priority ponds and inland rock; high priority ponds, wetland mosaic, coastal and rocky-shore habitats, five native woodland types | £125,000 | £250,000 |
| Tier A5 | High distinctiveness lakes (high, moderate and low alkalinity, marl and peat lakes) | £650,000 | £1,300,000 |
| Hedgerow | All hedgerow units | £44,000 | £88,000 |
| Watercourses | All watercourse units | £230,000 | £460,000 |
Off-site units: priced by quote
Off-site units bought from a habitat bank or landowner have no public rate card. GOV.UK states that statutory credit prices are not guideline prices for off-site units; they include a mark-up so they do not undercut the off-site market, and Defra reviews them every 6 months.[S3] GOV.UK’s guidance for developers says prices and payment terms should be agreed between you and the seller.[S18] The biodiversity gain sites register shows which sites are registered and what habitat they hold, which is where to start a search for compliant supply.[S5]
What changes an off-site quote
- Habitat type and band. The trading rules require like-for-like replacement for high distinctiveness habitat, so a high-band loss narrows the sites that can supply you.[S1]
- Location. Units from a site in the same local planning authority or national character area count in full; a neighbouring area applies a 0.75 spatial risk multiplier and anywhere further 0.5, so you buy more units to cover the same loss.[S1]
- The 30-year commitment. The seller must manage and monitor the habitat for at least 30 years, and the quote carries that obligation.[S5]
Work out your own figure
The BNG calculator sizes the units your site needs, prices them as statutory credits from the GOV.UK list, and multiplies them by any off-site quote you enter, so you can compare the two routes side by side.