The Environment Bank has announced that 16 of its BNG Habitat Banks have been added to the Natural England national biodiversity gain sites register, unlocking more than 2000 offsite biodiversity units for developers to purchase to meet their BNG commitments.
Covering 850 acres (or 344 hectares) across England, the additions represent more than 40% of Natural England’s entire biodiversity gain sites register, making Environment Bank the nation’s leading BNG Habitat Bank provider.
Catherine Spitzer, CEO, said: ‘There is growing demand to purchase biodiversity units and adding sites onto the national register is the final step in making them available for purchase. Environment Bank’s new additions have increased the size of the register by over 75%, and we are expecting more of our national network of 30 Habitat Banks to be added soon.
‘With much discussion around the perceived lack of availability of registered biodiversity units ready for developers to purchase, Environment Bank is rapidly providing a solution to satisfy demand.’
Developers are required by law to ensure that all significant developments deliver a minimum 10% increase in biodiversity for them to be granted planning permission by the local authority. Developers can do this by creating new habitats at the site of development, but this is often not possible.
Their next option is to purchase biodiversity units from a dedicated BNG site – like the Habitat Banks Environment Bank has created. For a developer to satisfy the local authority, any offsite biodiversity units they have purchased must come from a BNG site that is listed on Natural England’s biodiversity gain sites register.
To be added to the register, a BNG site must have a legal agreement in place (either a conservation covenant or s106) to make use of the land bound to BNG for a mandatory 30 year period.
The Environment Bank BNG Habitat Banks now added to the biodiversity gain sites register are:
North
Horwich Habitat Bank, Site 1 (One of two BNG sites at this location)
Greater Manchester
Horwich Habitat Bank, Site 2 (One of two BNG sites at this location)
Greater Manchester
Heighington Habitat Bank, County Durham
Bingfield Habitat Bank, Northumberland
Ripon Habitat Bank, North Yorkshire
Hoscar Habitat Bank, Lancashire
Midlands
Martley Habitat Bank, Worcestershire
Cornwell Habitat Bank, Oxfordshire
Minting Habitat Bank, Lincolnshire
Kilby Habitat Bank, Leicestershire
Ludlow Habitat Bank, Shropshire
South
Emberton Habitat Bank, Buckinghamshire
Ardingly Habitat Bank, West Sussex
Witchampton Habitat Bank, Dorset
Puddington Habitat Bank, Devon
Heacham Habitat Bank, Norfolk
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