BNG for Loughborough University student housing
Loughborough University, ranked in the top ten for higher education institutions in the UK, required off-site Biodiversity Units to satisfy planning conditions for a new student accommodation scheme after it were unable to fulfil Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) requirements entirely on-site.
About the development
Loughborough University was planning to build student housing in the centre of its campus to accommodate 552 students. Environment Bank was able to support the university, by providing high-integrity off-site Biodiversity Units to allow the essential development to go ahead.
The university champions environmental sustainability and student wellbeing across its 520-acre campus, and this project would be no exception. It will provide students with access to a range of amenities and dedicated social areas, as well as the university’s many green spaces – such as one of their ancient woodlands (Burleigh Wood), the Landscaping and Gardening Society’s allotment area and the Walled Garden.
The new development would also be partially built on a disused brownfield site, and its provision of secure cycle storage facilities will encourage students to opt for sustainable means of transport.
Delivering off-site Biodiversity Net Gain for large-scale projects
Loughborough University was able to fulfil some of the project’s BNG requirements on-site. This included replacing lost trees with a species-rich palette of overstory and understory trees, as well as creating food sources and habitats (such as bird and bat boxes) to enhance the biodiversity of the campus itself.
However, due to the scale of the project and the site’s pre-existing infrastructure, Loughborough University was unable to meet all of its BNG requirements entirely on-site.
One of Environment Bank’s experts, Sarah Middleton – herself an alum from Loughborough University’s School of Geography & Environment – engaged with the development team when she heard of the new project. With her knowledge and expertise in BNG, we were able to quickly source both whole and fractional Biodiversity Units for the new student housing – adapting quickly to its complex needs and ensuring that the development could start on schedule.
This was our first experience of delivering the requirements of BNG for a major project and working with Environment Bank made this simple, smooth and a positive experience. They provided valuable support and were open to our due diligence checks which support our ISO14001 EMS. Throughout Sarah provided a professional service and it was great to reconnect with her as a Loughborough Alumni. We would be happy to work with Environment Bank again on future projects.
Elliott Brown
Sustainability Manager
Loughborough University
Restoring diverse habitats in Leicestershire
We sourced the development’s off-site Biodiversity Units for other neutral grassland and lowland meadows from our Newton Harcourt Habitat Bank. This site sits in the Harborough District Council local planning authority (LPA) area – the neighbouring LPA to the project – enabling us to deliver a cost-effective and efficient BNG solution.
Just southeast of Wigston in Leicestershire, our seventy-five acre Newton Harcourt Habitat Bank is a particularly unique BNG site because of its layout and biodiversity. Running along the River Sence and containing archaeologically significant ridge and furrow, there are plenty of ecosystems that we’ll see flourishing in years to come.
After careful surveyance, our team developed a careful ecological design around the site’s landscape, which includes the enhancement of grassland. We’re hoping to see a diverse range of species settle here over the next thirty years, particularly an increase in the populations of nesting birds.
Newton Harcourt Habitat Bank is ideally placed to support native wildlife in the local area. Our team strategically chose the location of the site as it is adjacent to the Kilby Foxton Canal Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and will therefore enhance the surrounding wildlife by improving their connectivity.
We’re excited to see what the future holds for Newton Harcourt Habitat Bank, as well as every BNG Habitat Bank in our national network, as we continue to support essential development and restore nature at a large scale through high-integrity Biodiversity Net Gain offsetting that works for both nature and development.
Having attended Loughborough University, where my interest in nature and sustainability developed, it was particularly rewarding to support the delivery of their new on-campus student accommodation. We’re proud to have provided a solution that not only helped the university meet their planning requirements but also contributes to local nature recovery. It’s exciting to be supporting the university at the early stages of shaping their wider biodiversity strategy.
Sarah Middleton
BNG Strategic Growth Lead
Environment Bank