Shashin Mishra: Honouring planning excellence and unlocking the power of Biodiversity Net Gain
2 Jan 2025 | 2 min read
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Behind every thriving community lies a local government navigating a maze of challenges – balancing housing needs, infrastructure demands, environmental sustainability, and social wellbeing. This work is complex, often thankless, yet profoundly impactful.
Planning is about more than approvals and policies; it’s about vision, leadership, and the ability to shape places where people and nature coexist harmoniously. Acknowledging this dedication is crucial, which is why the RTPI Awards for Planning Excellence are so significant. They shine a spotlight on the individuals and teams making bold decisions, driving progress, and demonstrating that planning is a cornerstone of a better future.
This year, AiDASH was privileged to sponsor the Planning Authority of the Year category – a celebration of those who set the bar for what planning can achieve.
BNG: From Regulatory Hurdle to Strategic Advantage
One of the most transformative challenges facing planning authorities today is Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG). For some, it may seem like yet another layer of regulation in an already complex system. But for those willing to embrace it, BNG is a powerful opportunity to drive long-term environmental and social benefits.
BNG mandates that developments leave wildlife habitats in a measurably better state. While this might initially feel like a burden, it’s also a pathway to enriching local biodiversity, improving public health, and adding value to land and development projects. Greener spaces foster wellbeing, reduce stress, and lower the demand on social care systems – delivering tangible benefits that ripple far beyond compliance.
The choice for planning authorities is clear: treat BNG as a box-ticking exercise or use it to reimagine the relationship between land, people, and nature.
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