Proactive approach to BNG keeps school upgrade moving
Biodiversity Units supplied by Environment Bank have helped meet planning conditions for a new building project to provide seven new classrooms and other facilities at the King Edward IV Handsworth Academy in Birmingham where an off-site delivery option was essential due to space limitations on-site.
About the development project
To meet the evolving needs of staff and pupils, King Edward VI Handsworth Academy in Birmingham had seen several changes and upgrades since it first opened in 1911, and the latest of these upgrades was set to take place over the 2025 summer holiday break.
This new project, delivered by Speller Metcalfe, would see the demolition of a 1970s block no longer fit for purpose which would be replaced with a modern new two-storey teaching building to better meet the current needs of the school, offering seven new classrooms, multiple staff rooms, and other spaces for storage and resources.
With space extremely limited in such an urban setting, it would not be possible to deliver all the biodiversity gains required by creating habitats that can be managed and monitored for BNG at the development site itself. Once all options for on-site delivery had been explored, Speller Metcalfe reached out to Environment Bank for an off-site solution to achieve the small amount remaining.
Meeting BNG conditions well in advance
Work was due to begin at King Edward VI School at the beginning of the summer holidays, so any planning delays could have had a major impact. As is the case with essential school projects, timing is critical to ensure building work has a minimal impact on the academic year.
The team at Speller Metcalfe were incredibly proactive, first reaching out to us in January 2025, well in advance of their on-site start date. To make sure that BNG would not delay the development schedule, Environment Bank supported Speller Metcalfe through planning and worked quickly to supply the off-site Biodiversity Units required with ample time to spare.
After completing their purchase, Speller Metcalfe’s Biodiversity Units had been allocated on the biodiversity gain sites register within just three business days – a full four months before work was meant to start on-site.
Thanks to excellent collaboration between our team, the developer, and the building contractor, Speller Metcalfe’s BNG planning condition was discharged without issue so work could commence on schedule.
In summary, a very positive experience and I wouldn’t hesitate to approach Environment Bank again should the need for off-site Biodiversity Units be required on future projects. I found Environment Bank to be helpful and responsive, providing all the guidance and information that I needed to secure the discharge of planning conditions.
Sarah Dickenson
Design Manager
Speller Metcalfe
Increasing biodiversity across the West Midlands
With a national network of BNG Habitat Banks generating a range of Biodiversity Units, Environment Bank was easily able to supply off-site BNG for this project.
Speller Metcalfe had a very small off-site BNG requirement – less than a third of a whole Biodiversity Unit in total across two habitat types – and we tailored their purchase to this precise amount so they wouldn’t need to pay for whole Biodiversity Units.
The grassland and lowland meadow Biodiversity Units were sourced from our Martley Habitat Bank which sits in the adjacent National Character Area (NCA) to that of the development, allowing us to provide a more cost-effective solution.
Our work at Martley Habitat Bank has transformed the unproductive arable fields into a diverse mosaic of wildflower grassland, mixed scrubland, traditional orchard, hedgerows, and ponds. With ancient woodland in the surrounding area, our Habitat Bank is helping create vital connectivity across the West Midlands landscape and encouraging native wildlife to thrive.
It’s been a pleasure supporting King Edward VI Handsworth School, Speller Metcalfe, and all project stakeholders in securing the off-site Biodiversity Units needed to meet planning requirements with a tight deadline. I’d like to thank everyone involved for their collaboration and responsiveness which ensured we could get everything in place to stay on track for the school holiday window.
Molly Brealey
Key Account Manager
Environment Bank