Botley Habitat Bank

County: Hampshire
Local planning authority (LPA): Eastleigh Borough Council
National Character Area (NCA): South Hampshire Lowlands

Birds-eye render of Botley Habitat Bank before restoration

Very high distinctiveness habitats

Lowland meadows

High distinctiveness habitats

Ponds (priority habitat)
Species-rich native hedgerow with trees

Medium distinctiveness habitats

Ditches
Mixed scrub
Other neutral grassland
Other woodland; broadleaved
Rural tree

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Habitat Bank overview

Just under ten miles from Southampton is our Botley Habitat Bank, an almost sixty-acre parcel of land where we are designing a vast range of habitats and enhancing local wildlife populations.

The land was previously used for intensive arable farming – drastically reducing its biodiversity and leading to high levels of nutrient pollution. Through our careful ecological designs, we’re hoping to revitalise the degraded habitats and restore the landscape’s resilience.

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.

Neighbouring LPAs
Test Valley Borough Council
South Downs National Park Authority
New Forest District Council
Winchester City Council
Southampton City Council
Fareham Borough Council

Neighbouring NCAs
New Forest
Hampshire Downs
South Coast Plain
South Downs
Salisbury Plain and West Wiltshire Downs

Our vision

Botley Habitat Bank is surrounded by many ecologically significant sites, such as the Upper Hamble Estuary and Woods Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and the Solent and Southampton Water Special Protection Area (SPA). By enhancing the landscape at Botley Habitat Bank, we’re hoping to increase connectivity between these sites and further expand their wildlife populations.

The Upper Hamble Estuary and Woods SSSI contains rare ancient woodland habitats – creating an exciting opportunity for us to support these extraordinary species through careful scrub and woodland planting. In the coming years, we’re hoping to see species such as wild service tree (also known as the ‘chequers tree’), wild daffodil, and butcher’s broom here.