Chesham Habitat Bank

County: Buckinghamshire
Local planning authority (LPA): Buckinghamshire Council
National Character Area (NCA): Chilterns

Birds-eye render of Chesham Habitat Bank before restoration

Very high distinctiveness habitats

Lowland meadows
Species-rich native hedgerow with trees — associated with bank or ditch

High distinctiveness habitats

Species-rich native hedgerow with trees
Traditional orchards

Medium distinctiveness habitats

Mixed scrub
Native hedgerow with trees
Other neutral grassland
Other woodland; broadleaved
Rural tree

Low distinctiveness habitats

Modified grassland
Native hedgerow

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Habitat Bank overview

Chesham Habitat Bank sits within the Chess Valley Biodiversity Opportunity Area and includes pockets of ancient woodland which we aim to extend and create routes for wildlife to increase their habitat.

Alongside this, we are creating grassland, scrub, and hedgerow to support a range of local species and improve soil quality.

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.

Neighbouring LPAs
Three Rivers District Council
Central Bedfordshire Council
Wokingham Borough Council
Dacorum Borough Council
Slough Borough Council
West Northamptonshire Council
South Oxfordshire District Council
Milton Keynes City Council
Windsor and Maidenhead Borough Council
Cherwell District Council
Hillingdon London Borough Council

Neighbouring NCAs
Northern Thames Basin
Thames Basin Heaths
South Suffolk and North Essex Clayland
Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire Claylands
Thames Valley
Upper Thames Clay Vales
Berkshire and Marlborough Downs
East Anglian Chalk

Our vision

The size of this site means that it neighbours and encompasses several areas that are mapped within the Buckinghamshire Local Nature Recovery Strategy (LNRS), including the Frith Wood and Hodgemoor Wood Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and the Chiltern Beechwoods Special Area of Conservation (SAC).

By creating further woodland habitat, we are connecting the existing ancient woodland and providing habit for key species such as barbastelle bat and both small heath and purple emperor butterfly.

We are working with local contractors and graziers to manage the development of this site, ensuring that the development of this Habitat Bank engages with people in the area who will see the nature restoration grow and flourish over time.