The applicable requirements depend on the site's features and the scale of development. [1] [2] [3] [4]
Understand the Urban Greening Factor
London Plan policy G5 uses an Urban Greening Factor to assess the quantity and quality of greening in major development. The guidance uses a weighted calculation: different surface types contribute differently to the score. It is not simply the percentage of the site coloured green on a drawing. [1]
Where a borough has not set its own target, the London Plan guidance identifies 0.4 for predominantly residential development and 0.3 for predominantly commercial development. A score of 0.4 does not mean that every housing site must have exactly 40% conventional garden. Check the policy's scope and the borough's requirements before applying the calculation to a minor scheme. [1]
For a small project, the design can still explain what its planting and landscaped surfaces achieve even where a formal UGF calculation is not required. Keep the proposal specific enough to be assessed rather than relying on a general commitment to “add greenery”.
The small-site BNG exemption is different
For applications made on or after 6 August 2026, development on sites of 0.2 hectares or less is exempt from statutory Biodiversity Net Gain unless it would cause a loss of biodiversity value in on-site priority habitat. The separate self-build exemption was removed from that date. Earlier applications need their own transitional check. [2]
The priority-habitat exception matters. Do not claim exemption solely from a site-area measurement without establishing whether that exception applies. An exemption from BNG also does not remove separate protection for trees or protected species. [2] [3] [4]
Check trees before placing foundations and routes
A Tree Preservation Order can control work to protected trees, including root cutting. The government's guidance also explains the separate controls for trees in conservation areas. A tree that appears outside the proposed building footprint can therefore still be relevant to construction or a service route. [3]
Ask the project team to identify the trees that may be affected and show how they are to be protected or otherwise dealt with in the proposal. Coordinate this with drainage and utility routes rather than treating the tree information as a separate drawing that nobody uses. [3] [5]
Habitat can exist on modest urban plots
Natural England's guidance identifies buildings, gardens, hedges, trees and previously developed land as places that can support protected species. Where effects are likely, appropriate information may be needed before the planning decision; licences, where necessary, are a separate process. [4]
Avoid clearing a site simply to make the eventual application look easier. Establish the ecological position first and use the findings to inform the location, timing and design of the work. [4]
Make the landscape proposal deliverable
Coordinate proposed greening with usable outdoor space and the building layout. Record the proposed surfaces and planting clearly enough for the UGF calculation or other planning assessment to be checked, where applicable. The draft replacement London Plan may alter future policy, but was not adopted on 2 October 2026. [1] [6] [7]