Showing biodiversity net gain and open space in your marketing

Since biodiversity net gain became mandatory for most new developments in England, schemes have had to deliver a measurable improvement in habitat, typically at least 10%. For many housing sites, that means wildflower meadows, new hedgerows, ponds and tree planting, often alongside play areas and other open space.

These areas take up land and cost money to deliver. Yet in a lot of development marketing, they barely appear. The CGIs focus on the houses, and the green space is left as a flat colour on a site plan.

Why it is worth showing

For many buyers, especially families, the space around the homes matters as much as the homes themselves. A safe play area, a place to walk the dog and views over planting rather than a car park all influence where people choose to live.

Showing these spaces properly helps buyers:

• Understand what will be on their doorstep
• See how the development connects to the surrounding countryside
• Picture daily life on the site, not just the front elevation of a house

Accuracy matters here too

On Dalton Park near Thirsk, we produced a dedicated CGI of the BNG area and children's play area for Yorkshire Homes. Because the homes were being sold off plan, the client wanted this view to be accurate to the approved landscaping, not an idealised park that might never be delivered.

That meant working from the landscape proposals and reflecting the planting, paths, play equipment and boundaries as planned. It also meant showing planting at a realistic level of maturity, rather than presenting newly planted areas as fully established.

Where it fits in the marketing

A green space or BNG CGI works across several parts of a campaign:

• Brochures: a full page on the setting and open space, alongside the location section
• Websites: a section on the development page about community and outdoor space
• Hoarding and signage: a softer image that sets the scheme apart from a typical building site
• Virtual tours: letting buyers move from their plot to the play area and back

Talk about it in plain English

Most buyers will not know what BNG stands for. In marketing copy, it is usually better to describe what they will actually see, such as wildflower meadows, new trees, a play area or community growing spaces, rather than leading with planning terms.

If your next scheme includes significant open space, it is worth briefing it into the CGIs from the start. See more of our property CGIs, or get in touch.