What the LNRS Changes Actually Mean for Off-Site BNG

There's a significant shift coming to how off-site BNG works - and it's worth understanding before it lands.

Right now - June 2026 - when you're buying BNG units, the locality zones are defined by Local Planning Authorities (LPAs) and National Character Areas (NCAs). There are 156 NCAs. They're technical, they're hard to explain, and they don't map to anything most people recognise.

That's changing.

We're moving to 48 LNRS zones - Local Nature Recovery Strategies. Think Berkshire. Think the Yorkshire Dales. Bigger, more intuitive than the current system.

On the face of it, that sounds like good news for habitat banks - a larger catchment area to trade in, and in some ways it is. But there's a more nuanced picture underneath.

A bigger zone means more habitat banks are now competing for the same requirements. Where a developer might previously have been matched with two or three options, they could now be looking at seven or eight without incurring the spatial risk multiplier. That's more competitive pricing, yes - but also a more complex market to navigate without independent guidance.

There's something else.

We're already seeing LPAs push back - Bradford being a recent example - actively encouraging developers to source units within their own boundary rather than the wider zone. As these boundaries get bigger, that kind of local preference is likely to increase, not decrease.

What this means practically: if you're a developer with off-site requirements, you need a full view of the market, not just whoever you find first. And if you're a landowner with BNG units for sale, understanding your new competitive landscape matters.

Our team works across the whole market.

Get in touch if you want to understand your supply options.