Full schedule
- 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 |
Why the price is deliberately punitive
The Spatial Risk Multiplier (SRM) for statutory credits is fixed at 2; a developer must therefore buy two credits per biodiversity unit required. A Tier A1 credit at £42,000 produces an effective £84,000 floor per unit. The design intent is to keep statutory credits as a backstop of last resort, not a substitute for off-site supply.[S3]
When the developer is compelled to buy
Compelled purchase arises where the trading rules cannot be satisfied locally: no available off-site units in the LPA or neighbouring NCA at the right distinctiveness band; or insufficient on-site delivery to meet the 10% uplift after all multipliers. The compulsion is procedural, not discretionary.[S1]
Worked example
A scheme loses wet woodland, a high distinctiveness habitat, and needs 4 units with no compliant off-site supplier. Wet woodland is Tier A3 at £66,000 per credit; with 2 credits per unit the cost is 4 x 2 x £66,000 = £528,000.[S3]The same 4 units bought off-site cost 4 times the per-unit price a habitat bank quotes. Operators such as Environment Bank and Nattergal do not publish one, so get quotes before treating credits as the comparison point.
Revenue flow into Nature Recovery
GOV.UK states that funds from the sale of statutory credits will be invested in habitat creation or enhancement, as set out in section 101 of the Environment Act 2021.[S19]
How you actually buy statutory credits
Statutory biodiversity credits are sold by Natural England on behalf of Defra through the GOV.UK buy statutory biodiversity credits service; there is no private marketplace and no third-party reseller. You cannot use an agent or representative to buy them on your behalf, and you can only use them as a last resort once on-site and off-site delivery have been exhausted.[S17]
The process is: submit the application with your completed statutory metric calculation and development details; pass customer due-diligence and anti-money-laundering checks (initial checks take about 4 weeks, up to 8 weeks in total if further verification is needed); receive a proforma invoice and pay; then get proof of purchase to submit to your planning or discharging authority.[S17] From 2 November 2026 the scheme also covers nationally significant infrastructure projects.[S9]
Common questions
How much does a statutory biodiversity credit cost?
Tier A1 (all low and most medium distinctiveness habitats) is £42,000 per credit, rising through A2 £48,000, A3 £66,000, A4 £125,000 to A5 £650,000. Hedgerow credits are £44,000 and watercourse credits £230,000. The GOV.UK price list was last updated on 2 June 2026.[S3]
Why is the real cost double the headline price?
A fixed Spatial Risk Multiplier of 2 applies to statutory credits, so a developer must buy two credits for every biodiversity unit required. That makes a Tier A1 credit an effective £84,000 floor per unit; the doubling is a deliberate design penalty to keep statutory credits a last resort.[S3]
Where do you buy statutory biodiversity credits, and are they for sale privately?
They are not for sale on the open market. The only seller is Natural England, acting for Defra, through the GOV.UK buy statutory biodiversity credits service. Off-site units from registered habitat banks are a separate, usually cheaper market; statutory credits are the compelled backstop only.[S17]
How long does it take to buy statutory credits?
Natural England aims to complete initial checks within about 4 weeks of receiving an order, and up to 8 weeks in total where more checks are needed, before issuing a proforma invoice for payment.[S17]