Small site BNG satisfied for Lincolnshire residence | Environment Bank

Developer: Homeowner
Sector: Residential
Region: East of England

LPA: South Holland District Council
NCA: The Fens

Habitat Bank: Heacham, Norfolk
Biodiversity Units: Grassland

About the development

When seeking planning permission for a new extension with annex and timber garage for his property in south Lincolnshire, homeowner Liam Offord purchased off-site Biodiversity Units from Environment Bank to help achieve the 10% net gain in biodiversity required.

With the total plot covering no more than three quarters of an acre, there was limited space for delivering BNG on-site. As is often the case with such small sites, once all on-site options had been explored for the project, off-site BNG was the best way to ensure any habitat impacts were mitigated and a net gain in biodiversity was delivered.

Environment Bank made it easy to meet my BNG condition off-site and the team were really quick and efficient. I’d be more than happy to recommend Environment Bank to other developers.
Liam Offord
Homeowner

Timely solution for work to commence on-site

Having not encountered BNG before, Liam was pleasantly surprised by the low cost of our Biodiversity Units as he had expected them to be far more expensive. Environment Bank can provide fractional Biodiversity Units (sales of less than a whole Unit) which allowed us to meet Liam’s small BNG requirement exactly.

Environment Bank was named as the off-site BNG provider on the project’s planning documents and, knowing we’d be there to provide Biodiversity Units as soon as required, Liam chose to wait until he received a decision from the planning authority before finalising his purchase.

Liam got in touch once planning permission was granted and we completed his purchase within two days. One week later, his Biodiversity Units were officially allocated on the biodiversity gain sites register, enabling work to begin on-site.

Render of Heacham Habitat Bank with habitats restored, showing a lush meadow and pond surrounded by trees with a bird flying above and cattle grazing in the background — Our vision for Heacham Habitat Bank

Local BNG delivery in The Fens NCA

With grassland Biodiversity Units readily available from our BNG Habitat Bank in The Fens, the same National Character Area as Liam’s property, we were able to provide local BNG, offering the most cost-effective off-site BNG solution.

Part of the Wild Ken Hill rewilding project, our twenty-hectare Heacham Habitat Bank includes a diverse range of habitats. Alongside the Biodiversity Units of neutral grassland that Liam purchased, the Habitat Bank also features meadows, scrubland, ponds, hedgerow, and woodland.

Heacham Habitat Bank is legally secured for BNG under a conservation covenant with RSK Wilding and was formally added to Natural England’s biodiversity gain site register at the end of 2024.

Birds-eye render of Heacham Habitat Bank with habitats restored, showing new scrub, grassland, ponds, native hedgerow, broadleaved woodland, and meadows next to the Norfolk coastline — A bird’s-eye vision of Heacham Habitat Bank

It was great to help facilitate this development for Liam – providing the Biodiversity Units he required in a timely manner and enabling the project to proceed within his expected timeframe. We remained in touch from our initial introduction in August 2024 and, once he’d received his planning decision, the Biodiversity Unit sale was complete within two weeks.
Ettie Gioia
Senior Business Development Executive
Environment Bank

Find out more about our Biodiversity Units