BNG provided for essential Network Rail project | Environment Bank

Client: Network Rail
Sector: Infrastructure – transport
Region: North West

LPA: Salford City Council
NCA: Manchester Conurbation

Habitat Banks: Horwich, Greater Manchester | Minting, Lincolnshire
Biodiversity Units:

Heathland and shrub
Woodland and forest

Network Rail was under pressure to deliver a timely off-site BNG solution that would unlock an essential project at one of the busiest stations in Greater Manchester. Environment Bank was able to provide expert support and a ready supply of off-site Biodiversity Units for the project.

About the development project

At Salford Crescent Station, a critical location on one of the busiest rail corridors approaching central Manchester, the challenge was to improve performance and efficiency by constructing a third platform with associated works at the ticket gate line.

Located on University Road, this interchange station provides access across the city, including connections to stations at Salford Central and Victoria in the north as well as Oxford Road and Picadilly in the south.

With an increasing passenger demand for public transport connections to the University of Salford campus and the growing employment site, Salford Quays, the station’s existing single island platform often faced overcrowding at peak times.

The proposed new platform would reduce dwell times at peak periods, improve pedestrian flow capacity, and reduce instances of two trains arriving at once which overloaded the existing narrow platform and footbridge.

The first improvement works to be carried out at Salford Crescent since 2013, this project would also lay the foundations for future service enhancements, offering the potential to significantly reduce railway operating costs.

Looking down onto Salford Crescent Station with a bridge crossing the railway tracks, passengers carrying suitcases, and trees and bushes surrounding the station — Salford Crescent Station

Delivering BNG to tight timescales

After exhausting all options for on-site BNG delivery, off-site Biodiversity Units were needed to satisfy project requirements. With major road closures planned, the urgency for this solution was critical.

With a ready supply available, Environment Bank was able to provide the Biodiversity Units the project needed to achieve an overall 10% net gain in biodiversity.

Environment Bank’s team of BNG experts were there to help throughout the planning process, addressing queries from the Greater Manchester Ecology Unit (GMEU) to ensure that the mandatory BNG pre-commencement planning condition could be discharged as quickly as possible.

As soon as the required Biodiversity Units had been purchased, Environment Bank submitted the allocation request to Natural England for the Biodiversity Units to be formally added to the biodiversity gain sites register. After just one week, the allocation was confirmed, enabling work to start on-site.

Render of Horwich Habitat Bank with habitats restored, showing lush meadows and ponds with Manchester city skyline in the background — A vision of Horwich Habitat Bank in Greater Manchester

Large-scale nature recovery in Greater Manchester

The Biodiversity Units provided for the project were sourced from two BNG Habitat Banks from our growing national network, delivering a policy-compliant and cost-effective solution to meeting the BNG requirements for the development.

The heathland and shrub Biodiversity Units were provided by our Horwich Habitat Bank, a vast BNG site less than 20 miles from the centre of Manchester sat across more than 120 acres of previously low-biodiversity farmland. We’re working in close partnership with the local farmer whose own cattle graze the biodiverse grassland with the help of a small herd of Exmoor ponies.

We also provided the required woodland and forest Biodiversity Units from our Minting Habitat Bank. This site covers almost 50 acres sat beside an area of ancient woodland which is home to rare species such as the nightingale.

Both these sites are secured under conservation covenants with responsible body RSK Wilding and listed on Natural England’s biodiversity gain sites register.

We were pleased to deliver the off-site Biodiversity Units required for this critical infrastructure project and we’re grateful for the collaboration from everyone we worked with at Network Rail, Salford City Council, Kier Group Plc, and the Greater Manchester Ecology Unit.
Sean Rooney
Strategic Account Director
Environment Bank

Find out more about our Biodiversity Units