Off-site BNG for warehouse in Manchester
Developer: WERiT UK Limited
Sector: Manufacturing
Region: North West
LPA: Salford City Council
NCA: Mersey Valley
Habitat Bank: Horwich, Greater Manchester | Hoscar, Lancashire
Biodiversity Units: Grassland | Lowland meadows | Heathland and shrub
Packaging manufacturer WERiT UK Limited – based in Irlam, Manchester – required an off-site Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) solution for a warehouse extension. With a quick turnaround, Environment Bank provided the Biodiversity Units needed to satisfy WERiT’s BNG requirement and work could begin at the warehouse as planned.
About the development
WERiT’s team planned to create a 3,500m² extension for their warehouse at Northbank Industrial Estate on Darby Road in Irlam that would enable the team to grow, offering ten new local jobs.
This extension would include an area for additional racking and loading, a mezzanine office space, a supporting staff facility, and a new entrance with external parking that featured twenty bicycle spaces and four electrical vehicle charging bays.
The increase in space would help facilitate more sustainable production practices, such as incorporating recycled materials into the manufacturing process.
With limited green space available, it would not be possible for WERiT to deliver BNG entirely on-site. This meant that off-site Biodiversity Units were needed to achieve a 10% net gain in biodiversity and satisfy post planning conditions.
Environment Bank’s team are helping ensure BNG can work for development projects like ours. A huge thanks to them for supporting us through the process and getting everything sorted for us quickly. It’s great to see the work being done by Environment Bank’s ecologists to restore habitats nearby.
Sunny Prakash
Managing Director
WERiT UK Limited
Flexible reservation and speedy completion for BNG Units
After consulting with RSK Biocensus to work out exactly what would need to be achieved off-site – which was less than one Biodiversity Unit of three habitat types – WERiT reached out to Environment Bank.
We work with developers of all sizes, so our team was more than happy to help. We could tailor the exact amount needed to satisfy WERiT’s small requirement – less than a whole Biodiversity Unit in each habitat type – so they wouldn’t need to pay more than necessary.
In October 2024, WERiT made a six-month reservation with Environment Bank for the required Biodiversity Units. Receiving planning approval sooner than expected, WERiT were able to end their reservation early and their purchase was completed in January 2025.
Working efficiently, Environment Bank’s team were able to formally allocate WERiT’s Biodiversity Units onto the Natural England biodiversity gain sites register within two days of their purchase being completed.
Restoring biodiversity in Greater Manchester and the wider North West
With the nation’s largest network of BNG Habitat Banks, we had Biodiversity Units readily available from project that are actively supporting local nature recovery strategies (LNRS) in Greater Manchester.
We supplied WERiT with Biodiversity Units in medium distinctiveness grassland and medium distinctiveness heathland and shrub from our Horwich Habitat Bank where rare Exmoor ponies are helping to manage the landscape through sustainable grazing.
Horwich Habitat Bank is located only 15 miles from WERiT’s development site and sat within its neighbouring local planning authority (LPA) area – making this a cost effective off-site BNG solution for WERiT.
High distinctiveness lowland meadow Biodiversity Units were supplied from our Hoscar Habitat Bank, only 5 miles from our Horwich site, where a wide range of native wildflowers are thriving across more than 50 acres of biodiverse grassland habitats.
It was great to assist Sunny in facilitating the extension of WERiT’s existing warehouse to provide additional facilities for the business. With BNG being totally new to WERiT, we supplied the required Biodiversity Units soon after planning approval was granted to ensure a smooth and speedy experience discharging post-planning BNG conditions for their project.
Ettie Gioia
Senior Business Development Executive
Environment Bank