New housing in Sheffield with off-site BNG solution
Client: JEM Developments
Sector: Residential
Region: Yorkshire & Humber
LPA: Sheffield City Council
NCA: Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire and Yorkshire Coalfield
Habitat Bank: Bolsterstone, South Yorkshire
Biodiversity Units:
- Lowland meadow
- Heathland and shrub
To create a new development that would provide local housing a stone’s throw away from the Northern General, Sheffield’s main hospital, JEM Developments purchased off-site Biodiversity Units from Environment Bank.
We provided the most cost-effective solution to satisfy Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) planning requirements off-site and enabled the developer to contribute towards effective, large-scale nature restoration in the area.
About the development project
A small residential development was set to be built upon a site that had stood vacant for seventeen years within a designated housing area only 3km away from Sheffield City Centre.
The three-quarter-storey block planned for Horndean Road would feature a range of new studio, 1-bed, 2-bed, and 3-bed apartments to support a growing demand for local housing in the area.
With little suitable green space available to create or enhance habitats and deliver biodiversity gains at the site of development, off-site Biodiversity Units were needed to satisfy the post planning BNG condition and enable this project to go ahead.
Providing a speedy solution for tight timescales
On behalf of JEM Developments, urban planning consultants DPP first reached out to Environment Bank for a quote in October 2024. We could easily meet their requirement with local Biodiversity Units readily available for the developer to purchase nearby and a dedicated team of BNG experts ready to provide support.
This allowed the developer to demonstrate in their biodiversity gain plan how the BNG condition would be satisfied off-site using Biodiversity Units supplied by Environment Bank. With this BNG strategy in place, the local authority granted planning permission the following month.
As work was due to begin on-site in early 2025, we were pleased to ensure a quick turnaround for the developer – completing their purchase in January and formally allocating the Biodiversity Units onto the gain sites register by the middle of February, only a few weeks later.
Environment Bank was very helpful in guiding us through the process of securing off-site Biodiversity Units from the initial discussion, through to a quote, and then confirmation. I think the whole process took a couple of weeks which was ideal due to the quick turnaround times needed for planning.
I would definitely recommend Environment Bank, and it was much better than the alternative of trying to find third party land for such a small number of Biodiversity Units. Thanks to Molly and everyone at Environment Bank.
William Marshall
Principal Planner
DPP UK Ltd.
Local nature restoration in Sheffield
We supplied the developer with Biodiversity Units from our Bolsterstone Habitat Bank, a registered BNG site within ten miles of the development and part of the same local planning authority (LPA) area.
This proximity meant that biodiversity gains could be delivered locally, and the spatial risk multiplier would not apply, so we could provide the most cost-effective off-site BNG option for the developer.
Across almost fifty acres, our own team of qualified ecologists are establishing new meadows, scrubland, ponds, and woodland to create a biodiverse haven between Sheffield and the Peak District National Park.
This Habitat Bank includes a public footpath where people from the local community will be able to watch the habitats flourish and see biodiversity increase over the coming decades.
It’s been a pleasure supporting through the process from the initial discussions to supplying off-site Biodiversity Units from our local Bolsterstone Habitat Bank in Sheffield.
I’m thrilled to hear the quick turnaround really helped and I’m very pleased to have played a part in meeting planning requirements for this project.
Molly Brealey
Key Account Manager
Environment Bank