Nine more BNG conservation covenants with RSK Wilding
We’re pleased to announce that we’ve successfully secured another nine conservation covenants with RSK Wilding for Habitat Banks located across England.
These add to the eight conservation covenants we secured this summer to give us a grand total of 17 conservation covenants now signed.
Altogether, these nine Habitat Banks cover more than 600 acres of land where we’re working closely with the landowner to increase biodiversity across a range of habitat types.
At these sites alone, we have generated over 1,300 off-site Biodiversity Units which are available for developers to reserve and purchase.
Alongside our other eight sites, conservation covenants have now also been secured for the following Habitat Banks:
- Ludlow Habitat Bank in Shropshire
- Hoscar Habitat Bank in Lancashire
- Kilby Habitat Bank in Leicestershire
- Witchampton Habitat Bank in Dorset
- Ardingly Habitat Bank in West Sussex
- Ripon Habitat Bank in North Yorkshire
- Blackboys Habitat Bank in East Sussex
- Bingfield Habitat Bank in Northumberland
- Heighington Habitat Bank in County Durham
With these agreements secured, we are now able to begin the process of adding these sites to the national biodiversity gains site register. In total, our 17 additions will more than double the number of BNG sites on the register and unlock more than 2,500 Biodiversity Units – a huge step forward for the off-site Biodiversity Unit market.
Legally securing BNG
In order to add BNG sites with Units for sale onto the register, they must be legally secured through either a conservation covenant with a Responsible Body or a section 106 agreement (S106) with the local planning authority (LPA).
We will always aim to pursue a S106 agreement with the LPA first in order to engage as much as possible with local stakeholders. As BNG is still a new policy and LPAs are awaiting additional resourcing and guidance, we have needed to secure conservation covenants in some cases to meet the urgent needs of developers.
Building valuable partnerships and supporting on BNG and S106 agreements, we’re still working closely with LPAs across England. For any sites in their area secured under conservation covenants, we still intend to provide ongoing monitoring reports to the local authority to keep them in the loop.
Legal agreements coming forward are essential for BNG policy to thrive as intended. Developers are already discovering off-site BNG solutions, like those offered by Environment Bank, that are enabling vital development projects to progress.
Delivering BNG for developers
Biodiversity Units purchased from the Blackboys Habitat Bank, now secured under a conservation covenant with RSK Wilding, have already ensured Europe’s largest logistics real estate developer Panattoni achieved BNG on a project in West Sussex.
It is wonderful to be able to work with Environment Bank to help them get their schemes approved and over the line, thus helping to unlock the supply of Biodiversity Units for developers.
Jon Davies
Director
RSK Wilding