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How does BNG validation work?

A brief introduction to how BNG validation works, and how Mycelia makes it faster and easier to assess applications against the National Validation Checklist.

Mycelia simplifies the validation process for Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) applications, ensuring that issues are caught early and applications don’t progress with incomplete or incorrect information. This article explains how to use Mycelia to validate applications against the national minimum requirements.

 

Why BNG Validation Matters

Validating BNG applications correctly:

  • Saves time by identifying problems upfront

  • Reduces risks by preventing progression on incomplete or tampered data

  • Ensures compliance with national statutory rules

For example, validation catches cases where an applicant submits:

  • An out-of-date or altered Biodiversity Metric

  • A spreadsheet with missing mandatory evidence, such as site photos

 

Step-by-step

In this video, you will learn about how BNG validation works, and how Mycelia makes it faster and easier to assess applications against the National Validation Checklist. 

 

 

Step 1: Confirm the Applicant Has Provided a BNG Metric

  • If the application is subject to mandatory BNG, the applicant must submit a Biodiversity Metric spreadsheet in its original Excel format.

  • If no metric is provided, you can refuse to validate the application immediately.

Step 2: Upload the BNG Metric to Mycelia

  1. Create a new case in Mycelia.

  2. Drag and drop the BNG Metric spreadsheet into the case.

  3. Mycelia automatically runs all required validation checks.

This saves you from manually reviewing large amounts of spreadsheet content.

 

Step 3: Review Validation Results

If an issue is found, Mycelia will display a Validation Failure message.

  • Click on the message to open the validation report.

  • The report provides:

    • A summary of the validation outcome

    • Detailed information about the issue (e.g., out-of-date metric version, tampered formulae, missing photos)

These issues are considered automatic failures under national regulations.

 

Step 4: Check Validation Summaries

The validation report also includes:

  • The onsite baseline area (so you can compare it with the site plan)

  • A checklist of required BNG information, pulled directly from the national regulation.

Step 5: Communicate Issues to the Applicant

Mycelia provides a copy-to-clipboard function to simplify applicant communication:

  1. Click the button in the report.

  2. Mycelia copies plain-English guidance about the issues to your clipboard.

  3. Paste this text directly into an email or letter.

This ensures applicants understand what needs to be fixed.

 

National vs. Local Validation Requirements

The statutory requirements cover only the minimum national standards.

Many Local Planning Authorities (LPAs) also include BNG rules in their local validation lists, which helps secure more complete information upfront.

To support this, Mycelia separates its checks into two categories:

  • National Minimum Requirements

  • Potential Local Requirements

This article focuses on national requirements. To learn about local requirements, see our next guide in the validation series.

 

Troubleshooting

  • Issue: Metric file won’t upload

    • Ensure the file is in its original Excel format. PDFs or altered file types are not accepted.

  • Issue: Applicant disputes validation failure

    • Refer them to the relevant section of the national BNG regulations included in Mycelia’s validation report.

 

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Need further assistance? Contact us at mycelia-support@verna.earth.