9th October 2024
Local Planning Authorities (LPAs) have the right to charge fees to cover all of their Biodiversity Net Gain monitoring costs, and most are planning to do this routinely. Simple template Section 106 Agreements can be used to collect these fees, making the process quick and easy.
This means that LPAs can use monitoring fees to fully cover the cost of Mycelia, allowing you to get all the benefits of the software at zero cost to the council. Many councils are doing this – you can read about how Eastleigh Borough Council have set this up.
Step-by-step guide to using monitoring fees to pay for Mycelia
We’ve been asked for a guide to this process. So here is how to do it, step-by-step:
- Download Verna’s monitoring fee calculator (this is a free tool). You can download this Excel tool here.
- Fill in your estimated staff costs. These are the grey cells on the ‘Inputs and Outputs’ tab. There is some guidance within the tool, on the ‘Introduction’ tab.
- Put in an ‘additional cost’ to go towards the cost of Mycelia. This can be added in cell D29 of the ‘Inputs and Outputs’ tab. The default amount here, which many LPAs are using, is £500 per case. If you have any other per-case costs, such as other software or travel costs for occasional site visits, remember to add those too.
- Set your monitoring fee based on the calculator’s result. This is the value in cell C41 on the ‘Inputs and Outputs’ tab.
- If you don’t already have Mycelia, contact us about getting it. You can get in touch on mycelia@verna.earth. We can help you with the simple process of getting set up with Mycelia, which typically takes a few weeks. (As part of this, we can support with procurement. Mycelia is unique, so is almost always procured by direct award.)
Top tips
- You can make as many versions of the monitoring fee calculator as you need. For example if you want to set fees for different sizes or complexities of case, you can make a version for each. You can also use the calculator to set a bespoke fee for an individual case, if it’s unusual.
- The Verna calculator is one tool for this, and there are others available – for example, Buckinghamshire and North Yorkshire Councils have both created similar tools. The core principle is the same across tools: base your fees on your estimated costs, which can include the cost of Mycelia.
- You may need to go through an approval process to set your fees, which varies from council to council. Procuring Mycelia can take a few weeks, so (if you don’t have it already) it’s best to get in touch with us on mycelia@verna.earth at the same time as starting your approval process.
- Don’t forget that there is also Defra BNG burdens funding available to LPAs. This is a ring-fenced grant for use on BNG only, and software has been confirmed by Defra as an eligible use.
Further guidance
If you’d like help with any aspect of this process, or if you have other questions about Mycelia or BNG generally, please feel free to get in touch on mycelia@verna.earth.