Witchampton Habitat Bank

County: Dorset
Local planning authority (LPA): Dorset Council
National Character Area (NCA): Dorset Downs and Cranborne Chase
Biodiversity gain sites register number: BGS-111024001

Birds-eye render of Witchampton Habitat Bank before restoration

Very high distinctiveness habitats

Lowland meadows

High distinctiveness habitats

Floodplain wetland mosaic and CFGM
Other rivers and streams

Medium distinctiveness habitats

Ditches
Mixed scrub
Other neutral grassland
Species-rich native hedgerow

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Habitat Bank overview

Our Witchampton Habitat Bank covers almost ninety acres of land on a rural estate in Dorset where we are creating and enhancing habitats to support a diverse range of native flora and fauna.

The Habitat Bank sits on a section of land known as the ‘water meadows’ with floodplain grazing marsh running along the River Allen corridor. It is an ideal location to provide a larger and more diverse haven for nature.

BNG delivery

At each of our Habitat Banks, our team assesses the land at the very start to maximise our biodiversity uplift. During this process we look at the site’s existing wildlife and vegetation, geological features, hydrology, extended management history, and its wider connectivity in the region.

Then, using the statutory biodiversity metric, we take a baseline for each Habitat Bank. Our team carefully considers the land and decides on the best possible habitats that will deliver and demonstrate resilient and adaptable biodiversity gains over our thirty-year management period.

Neighbouring LPAs
Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council
Somerset Council
Wiltshire Council
New Forest District Council
East Devon District Council

Neighbouring NCAs
Dorset Heaths
Yeovil Scarplands
Weymouth Lowlands
New Forest
Marshwood and Powerstock Vales
Salisbury Plain and West Wiltshire Downs
Blackmore Vale and Vale of Wardour

Our vision

Witchampton Habitat Bank lies adjacent to the River Allen, which forms part of the River Stour catchment. The western portion of the site sits strategically within the Dorset ecological network. It also sits within both the Cranbourne Chase and West Wiltshire Downs Areas of Outstanding National Beauty.

We’re excited to be enhancing and creating priority habitats including coastal and floodplain grazing marsh and lowland meadows. We’re in the process of transforming the existing grassland and arable fields into rich mosaic of wetter meadows with scrapes and ponds, open native mixed scrub and neutral grasslands which will support a diverse mix of species.

We hope that the new scrapes, ponds, increased vegetation cover, and soil health enhancements across the site will reduce surface water runoff and increase the soils water storage capacity. This will make the land more resilient to the effects of climate change.

The new habitats will support a stunning array of wildflowers and become home to a range of invertebrate species. We hope that the Habitat Bank will provide a fantastic opportunity to support local rare wildlife.