Bassingbourn Habitat Bank

County: Cambridgeshire
Local planning authority (LPA): South Cambridgeshire District Council
National Character Area (NCA): East Anglian Chalk
Biodiversity gain sites register number: BGS-100926003

Birds-eye render of Tiptree Habitat Bank with habitats restored, including lowland calcareous grassland, rivers and streams, native hedgerow with trees, traditional orchards, ditches, and scrub

Birds-eye render of Bassingbourn Habitat Bank before restoration

High distinctiveness habitats

Lowland calcareous grassland
Other rivers and streams
Species-rich native hedgerow with trees
Traditional orchards

Medium distinctiveness habitats

Ditches
Mixed scrub
Other neutral grassland
Rural tree
Species-rich native hedgerow

Low distinctiveness habitats

Modified grassland

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Habitat Bank overview

Covering more than sixty acres of previously arable land in Cambridgeshire, our Bassingbourn Habitat Bank is a fantastic example of how nature restoration projects can transform areas with low biodiversity.

After creating new habitats and enhancing the site’s existing features, we’ll spend the next three decades enabling the landscape to flourish – helping a wide range of local animal and plant species to thrive.

BNG delivery

Across our network of Habitat Banks, our specialist team always evaluates the land from the outset to determine how we can best achieve our biodiversity gains. This includes assessment of our sites’ native wildlife and existing vegetation, management history, hydrology, geology, and its wider connectivity in the local area.

Using the statutory biodiversity metric, we take baselines for each of our Habitat Banks. We carefully consider and design the best habitats to establish in order to maximise our long-term biodiversity gains.

Neighbouring LPAs
Uttlesford District Council
Central Bedfordshire Council
Braintree District Council
Huntingdonshire District Council
North Hertfordshire District Council
Cambridge City Council
Cambridgeshire County Council
West Suffolk Council
East Cambridgeshire District Council

Neighbouring NCAs
The Brecks
Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire Claylands
The Fens
South Suffolk and North Essex Clayland
Chilterns

Our vision

Bassingbourn Habitat Bank is strategically located near the Therfield Nature Reserve and the Ashwell Springs Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs). The Habitat Bank and its surrounding areas are made up of rich chalky grassland and pockets of woodland – supporting rare wildlife such as the pasque flower and chalk hill blue butterfly.

At the Habitat Bank we are creating and enhancing watercourses with crucial grassland boundaries. This will filter agricultural run-off and silt, reducing pollutants and increasing local water quality.