Blackboys Habitat Bank

County: East Sussex
Local planning authority (LPA): Wealden District Council
National Character Area (NCA): High Weald
Biodiversity gain sites register number: BGS-191124001

Birds-eye render of Blackboys Habitat Bank before restoration

Biodiversity Units available:

Very high distinctiveness habitats

Lowland meadows

Medium distinctiveness habitats

Mixed scrub
Other neutral grassland
Ponds (non-priority habitat)
Other woodland; broadleaved

Buy Biodiversity Units

Habitat Bank overview

Our Blackboys Habitat Bank sits across more than 16 hectares of land in rural East Sussex where we are transforming the existing sheep-grazed pasture fields into a stunning mosaic of species-rich grassland, lowland meadows, mixed scrub, woodland, and ponds.

The site will provide habitats for a range of notable and declining species, including hedgehogs, serotine bats, great crested newts, and hazel dormice.

BNG delivery

At every Habitat Bank, we always look at the land to determine what can be achieved from the very start. Our biodiversity experts assess the soil, wildlife, vegetation, geology, hydrology, management history, and connectivity across the local landscape.

We take a baseline for each Habitat Bank using the statutory biodiversity metric. We carefully select the best possible habitats for us to establish so we can deliver and demonstrate measurable biodiversity gains over time.

Biodiversity Units from this Habitat Bank are ready to purchase now, subject to availability. Provided alongside expert planning support, these Biodiversity Units offer an effective local off-site BNG solution for the Wealden District Council LPA and the High Weald NCA.

Coverage

Adjacent LPAs	Adjacent NCAs
Lewes District Council	Low Weald
Rother District Council	Pevensey Levels
Tandridge District Council	Romney Marshes
Sevenoaks District Council
Mid Sussex District Council
South Downs National Park
Eastbourne Borough Council
Tunbridge Wells Borough Council

Our vision

The Habitat Bank is strategically located so we can connect existing parcels of ancient woodland within the surrounding area. Woodland creation is one of the key opportunities identified in the High Weald National Character Area in which the Habitat Bank resides.

By connecting these ancient woodland parcels located at Browning Wood – an area listed within the Ancient Woodland Inventory – we’re creating better ecological connectivity on a broader scale, providing natural stepping stones for key species to travel and build in abundance.

The site has multiple public access points and rights of way (PRoW). We’re really excited for the local community to be able to visit, to witness the habitats develop over the coming decade, and to observe many notable and protected species of wildlife as they grow in abundance. It is hoped that sightings of species such as white admiral, grass snake, and bullfinch will become commonplace.