Environment Bank collaborates with Barclays on BNG
Environment Bank is working in collaboration with Barclays Business & Corporate Banks to support greater visibility and adoption of Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) to rural landowners and developers across the built environment sector.
Our Biodiversity Units enable developers to fulfil their BNG obligations. We work with farmers and landowners to generate these Biodiversity Units by building agricultural Habitat Banks – supporting farmers to increase biodiversity, unlock a diversified revenue stream, and build business resilience for their farm businesses.
BNG partnership
BNG is an initiative that aims to make sure that development projects in England have a measurably positive impact on biodiversity. To comply with the Environment Act 2021, developers in England must deliver a 10% net uplift in biodiversity relating to the site to be granted planning permission.
Developer clients of Barclays will be able to purchase our off-site Biodiversity Units from Environment Bank from our network of BNG Habitat Banks around the country.
As part of the collaboration, Environment Bank and Barclays are highlighting opportunities for farmers and landowners to explore the BNG market as an avenue of accessing nature markets, through Environment Bank’s model where it takes a 30-year lease on areas of land to deliver the biodiversity gains.
We look forward to helping Barclays developer and agricultural clients to navigate the BNG market. I hope that working closely with Barclays clients in this way will make a significant contribution to nature restoration in England.
Catherine Spitzer
Chief Executive Officer
Environment Bank
Environment Bank has already established a network of BNG Habitat Banks over more than 2,000 acres across England (and counting!) – with more than 20 additional sites already in development. Our team includes over 80 experts working across ecology, land management, planning, and legal services. Our developer clients include SME and major housebuilders alongside significant commercial, utility, energy, and infrastructure developers.