Eccleshall Habitat Bank
- County
- Staffordshire
- Local planning authority (LPA)
- Stafford Borough Council
- National Character Area (NCA)
- Shropshire, Cheshire and Staffordshire Plain
Biodiversity Units
Very high distinctiveness habitats
- Lowland meadows
High distinctiveness habitats
- Lowland mixed deciduous woodland
- Other rivers and streams
- Ponds (priority habitat)
- Species-rich native hedgerow with trees
- Traditional orchards
Medium distinctiveness habitats
- Bramble scrub
- Ditches
- Ecologically valuable line of trees
- Mixed scrub
- Other neutral grassland
- Other woodland; broadleaved
- Rural tree
Habitat Bank overview
At Eccleshall Habitat Bank, we’re transforming four large pasture fields and an arable field bordered by native hedgerow and woodland to help build connectivity across the wider landscape. There, our team are restoring fifty acres of land to create a thriving, biodiverse space for nature just a few miles from Stafford which will offer a home for species like hedgehog, brown hare, greenfinch, sparrowhawk, lapwing, and more.
BNG delivery
At every Habitat Bank, we always look at the land to determine what can be achieved from the very start. Our biodiversity experts assess the soil, wildlife, vegetation, geology, hydrology, management history, and connectivity across the local landscape.
We take a baseline for each Habitat Bank using the statutory biodiversity metric. We carefully select the best possible habitats for us to establish so we can deliver and demonstrate measurable biodiversity gains over time.
Coverage
| Neighbouring LPAs |
|---|
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Shropshire Council
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South Staffordshire District Council
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Stoke-on-Trent City Council
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Lichfield District Council
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Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council
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East Staffordshire Borough Council
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Cannock Chase District Council
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Staffordshire Moorlands District Council
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Telford and Wrekin Council
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Staffordshire County Council
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| Neighbouring NCAs |
|---|
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Cannock Chase and Cank Wood
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South West Peak
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Mersey Valley
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Shropshire Hills
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Wirral
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Needwood and South Derbyshire Claylands
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Oswestry Uplands
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Manchester Conurbation
|
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Potteries and Churnet Valley
|
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Mid Severn Sandstone Plateau
|
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Cheshire Sandstone Ridge
|
Our vision
Eccleshall Habitat Bank has been carefully designed and placed to connect local nature sites such as the Loyton Moss, Cop Mere, and Doley Common Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs).
We’re particularly excited to be deculverting (opening a watercourse previously buried underground) to create a stream which connects to Gamesley Brook as it flows through the Habitat Bank and adding a number of new ponds which will support species like common toad.
We’ll also be planting new scrub and enhancing the hedgerows and grasslands. This will offer species like barn owl a place to forage and other bird species – like skylark, meadow pipit, and sedge warbler – a home in which to nest. We are also exploring restorative grazing opportunities with high homes for supporting significant local bird species such as reed warbler and reed bunting.
Both ponds and hedgerow are listed as priority habitats in the Staffordshire Biodiversity Action Plan for the central farmland area in which the Habitat Bank is found, so our work is helping to support local nature recovery goals.
A public footpath crosses Eccleshall Habitat Bank which means that people from the local community will be able to enjoy watching the habitats thrive and witness as wildlife species grow in abundance.
Buy BNG Units
Find out the cost and availability of Biodiversity Units from Eccleshall Habitat Bank.
Nearest Habitat Banks
Chester Habitat Bank
NCA: Shropshire, Cheshire and Staffordshire Plain